Exploring the Potential of Asian Medicinal Plants in the Prevention and Treatment of Leukemia: A Comprehensive Ethnopharmacological Review

Articles in Press

Document Type : Review Paper

Authors

1 Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

The effectiveness of Asian herbal medications has been known since ancient times. Their impacts on people’s lives are significant, and their efficacy has been demonstrated in various studies. These plants contain phytochemicals, such as antioxidants, in their essential oils or extracts, classifying them as anti-leukemic agents. One of the primary concerns in modern medicine is the search for new treatments and innovative preventive approaches to cancer. Leukemia stands among the 15 most frequent types of cancer. Due to its high mortality rate, further research should focus on treatment and especially prevention. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for leukemia; however, it causes undesirable side effects. That is why the exploration of alternative strategies should be prioritized. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the following keywords: anti-leukemic plants, leukemia prevention, and leukemia treatment. The main databases included Google Scholar, Springer Link, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Elsevier. This review provides a list of 104 medicinal plant species used by Asian folk, with documented anti-leukemic properties. The plants mentioned in this paper contain various phytochemicals, such as flavonoids and alkaloids. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the promising effects of these plant extracts against leukemic cell lines. They help prevent and treat leukemia by inducing apoptosis and cell death, reducing cell viability, suppressing cell invasion, and targeting specific leukemic cell lines through various bioactive compounds like chlorogenic acid, xanthochymol, and berbamine. They also inhibit angiogenesis and disrupt cancer cell proliferation through mechanisms such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) suppression and STAT3 inhibition. The results of the current review could be applied in the development of a new generation of anti-leukemia drugs with minimal drawbacks.

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Journal of Medicinal plants and By-products

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 17 November 2025

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