Review onPolygonum minus. Huds, a commonly used food additive in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Polygonum minus (Polygonaceae), generally known as ‘kesum’ in Malaysia is among the most commonly used food additive, flavoring agent and traditionally used to treat stomach and body aches. Raw or cooked leaves of P. minus are used in digestive disorders in the form of a decoction and the oil is used for dandruff. The pharmacological studies on P. minus have demonstrated antioxidant, in vitro LDL oxidation inhibition, antiulcer activity, analgesic activity, anti-inflammatory activity, in vitro antiplatelet aggregation activity, antimicrobial activity, digestive enhancing property and cytotoxic activity. The spectroscopic studies of essential oil of P. minus showed the presence of about 69 compounds, which are responsible for the aroma. The phytochemical studies showed presence of flavonoids and essential oils. This review is an effort to update the botanical, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological data of the plant P. minus.

Anti-proliferative,in vitroantioxidant, and cellular antioxidant activities of the leaf extracts fromPolygonum minusHuds: Effects of solvent polarity

“…[18] The phytochemicals identified from P. minus include myricetin, quercetin, flavone, and methyl flavonol. [19] P. minus methanolic extract was non-toxic to Sprague Dawley rats at a dosage of 2 g/kg [20] and only caused moderate DNA strand breaks (16-31.4%) in lymphocytes at 250-2000 µg/ mL. [21] The n-hexane extract of P. minus leaf showed antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.…”

The effect of Polygonum minus extract on cognitive and psychosocial parameters according to mood status among middle-aged women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

“…Polygonum minus (PM) or locally known in Malaysia, as “kesum” has been proven to be a potent natural source of antioxidant due to its high antioxidant activity. 1 , 2 The PM leaves are used to treat dandruff, 3 and to warm up the body, and were believed to be good for blood circulation. 4 Nutritionally, PM is rich in antioxidant vitamins such as carotenes, retinol equivalents, and vitamin C, α-tocopherol (vitamin E), and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium, copper, and zinc.…”

Growth, Carbon Assimilation and Quality of Kesum (Persicaria minor) as Exposed to Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

“…According to National Health Portal [1], the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 80 percent of the world's population consume herbal medicine for their health care and there are about 21000 plants species with the potential to be utilized as medicinal plants. Persicaria minor is one of the plants that gained great attention in this field of study.…”