Ramie (Boehmeria nivea): A Functional Food and Herbal Medicine for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and the Promotion of Optimal Health

Abstract

Boehmeria nivea, or commonly known as ramie is a functional food ingredient which had been used by the Asian. It is also cultivated for its leaf fibres with excellent tensile strength, resistance to shrinkage and possess of antimildew, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Ramie leaves and roots are also consumed as food and beverages, and medicinal herbs. This plant has been used as ethnomedicines for various health complications, including hepatoprotective, antiviral, detoxification, anti-pyretic, reduce swelling, and many more. The ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal uses of ramie in various countries, including China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Malaysia had been reviewed. The phytochemicals or secondary metabolites reported in ramie had also been listed. Ramie had been found to exhibit numerous promising pharmacological activities. Four pharmacological activities of ramie which are closely related to the treatment and prevention of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) had been thoroughly reviewed: anti-inflammatory, anti-colitis, anti-oxidative and laxative.