Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Genus Cercis: A Review

The genus Cercis, belonging to the Fabaceae family, is widely distributed in China and traditionally employed in Chinese medicine to treat various disorders, like irregular menstruation, pain, cough and carbuncle swelling. Despite the availability of numerous scientific studies on this genus, reviews that comprehensively cover its phytochemistry and pharmacology remain limited. This review aims to systematically consolidate the scientific literature on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of eight Cercis species, retrieved from databases like PubMed, Web of Science, SciFinder, Google Scholar, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure platform. Based on a thorough analysis of the literature, more than 100 compounds have been identified from Cercis species, including flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, lignins, dibenz[b,f]oxepins and others. Extracts and chemical constituents derived from Cercis species exhibited significant antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antibacterial activities. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the medicinal potential of Cercis species and their potential applications in healthcare.