• Anti-diabetic
• Diabetes
• Endothelium
• Medicinal plants
• Vasorelaxation

• DNA
• Orthosiphon sp.
• flower diameter
• root length
• stem height

• Humans
• Plants, Medicinal
• Orthosiphon
• Plant Breeding
• Agriculture
• Biotechnology

For decades, chronic diseases including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs) have plagued the world. Meanwhile, we have noticed a close association between CCVDs and vascular lesions, such as hypertension. More focus has been placed on TMPs and natural products with vasodilation and hypotension. TMPs with vasodilatory and hypotensive activities are mainly from Compositae, Lamiaceae, and Orchidaceae (such as V. amygdalina Del., T. procuinbens L., M. glomerata Spreng., K. galanga L., etc.) whereas natural products eliciting vasorelaxant potentials were primarily from flavonoids, phenolic acids and alkaloids (such as apigenin, puerarin, curcumin, sinomenine, etc.). Furthermore, the data analysis showed that the vasodilatory function of TMPs was mainly concerned with the activation of eNOS, while the natural products were primarily correlated with the blockage of calcium channel. Thus, TMPs will be used as alternative drugs and nutritional supplements, while natural products will be considered as potential therapies for CCVDs in the future. This study provides comprehensive and valuable references for the prevention and treatment of hypertension and CCVDs and sheds light on the further studies in this regard. However, since most studies are in vitro and preclinical, there is a need for more in-depth researches and clinical trials to understand the potential of these substances.

• cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
• mechanism
• natural products
• traditional medicinal plants
• vasodilation

• Anticoagulant activity.
• Polyphenolic-polysaccharide conjugates.
• Pressurized liquid extraction

• Pseuderanthemum latifolium
• amino acid sequence
• characterization
• fibrino(geno)lytic activity
• serine protease

• apigenin
• bioactive compounds
• biological activities
• kaempferol
• subcritical water extraction

Traditional medicine has a history extending back to thousands of years, and during the intervening time, man has identified the healing properties of a very broad range of plants. Globally, the use of herbal therapies to treat and manage cardiovascular disease (CVD) is on the rise. This is the second part of our comprehensive review where we discuss the mechanisms of plants and herbs used for the treatment and management of high blood pressure. Similar to the first part, PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were utilized, and the following keywords and phrases were used as inclusion criteria: hypertension, high blood pressure, herbal medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, endothelial cells, nitric oxide (NO), vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, hydrogen sulfide, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), oxidative stress, and epigenetics/epigenomics. Each of the aforementioned keywords was co-joined with plant or herb in question, and where possible with its constituent molecule(s). This part deals in particular with plants that are used, albeit less frequently, for the treatment and management of hypertension. We then discuss the interplay between herbs/prescription drugs and herbs/epigenetics in the context of this disease. The review then concludes with a recommendation for more rigorous, well-developed clinical trials to concretely determine the beneficial impact of herbs and plants on hypertension and a disease-free living.

• endothelial/vascular smooth muscle cells
• epigenetics
• herbal medicine
• hypertension
• inflammation
• nitric oxide
• oxidative stress

Loranthus ferrugineus (L. ferrugineus) from Loranthaceae, a mistletoe, is a medicinal herb used for a variety of human ailments. Traditionally, decoctions of this parasitic shrub have been mainly used to treat high blood pressure (BP) and gastrointestinal complaints; usage which is supported by experimental based pharmacological investigations. Nonetheless, there is still limited data available evaluating this plant’s traditions, and few studies have been scientifically translated toward evidence based phytomedicine. We therefore provide a concise review of the currently available L. ferrugineus literature and discuss potential directions for future areas of investigation.

We surveyed available literature covering ethnopharmacological usage of L. ferrugineus and discussed relevant findings, including important future directions and shortcomings for the medicinal values of this parasitic shrub.

Evidence based pharmacological approaches significantly covered the medicinal application of L. ferrugineus for hypertension and gastrointestinal complaint management, with a particular focus on the active hydrophilic extract of this herb.

Understanding the sites of action of this plant and its beneficial effects will provide justification for its use in old traditional treatments, and potentially lead to the development of therapies. Other medicinal applicative areas of this parasitic shrub, such as wound healing, gerontological effects, and antiviral and anticancer activities, are yet to be researched.

• Loranthaceae
• Loranthus ferrugineus
• dedalu-api
• ethnopharmacology
• herbal medicine
• mistletoe
• parasitic shrub