Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Lobelia chinensis

Lobelia chinensis Lour is a species of commonly usedherb in traditional Chinese medicine. It is listed incurrent Chinese Pharmacopoeia and conventionallyutilized for cleansing body heat and toxins. Althoughthis herb is belonged to the genus Lobelia, its chemicalconstituents and biological activities are different fromL. inflate, which is an indigenous species in North America.The major bioactive constituents of L. chinensis aresecondary metabolites belonged to piperidine alkaloidsand flavonoids. These chemical components offer varioushealth benefits, including anti-virus, anti-cancer andcholeretic effects which have been confirmed and validatedusing modern pharmacological methods. In this article,some recent researches of the chemical constituents,biological activities and the medicinal applications ofL. chinensis are reviewed.