Anti-inflammatory Potential of Achillea Millefolium L., Urtica Dioica L., Matricaria Recutita L., and Calendula Officinalis L. in Georgian Medicinal Plant Practice: a Source-based Pharmacognostic Review
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Inflammatory disorders represent a broad clinical and pharmacological field in which plant -derived preparations have historically been used as topical, gastrointestinal, urinary, and supportive remedies. The present source -based review evaluates four medicinal plants with anti -inflammatory relevance in the supplied pharmacognostic literature: Achillea millefolium L., Urtica dioica L., Matricaria recutita L. (syn. Chamomilla recutita), and Calendula officinalis L. The selection was based on three criteria: explicit documentation of anti -inflammatory or antiphlogistic activity in the supplied medicinal -plant books, availability of phytochemical information sufficient for pharmacognostic interpretation, and relevance to Georgian medicinal-plant practice through documented occurrence, cultivation, or use. No external databases, journal searches, or additional internet sources were used. The reviewed sources show four distinct but partially overlapping pharmacognostic profiles. Achillea millefolium contains volatile oil, flavonoids, sesquiterpene constituents, bitter principles, tannins, coumarins, and related compounds. Both Georgian and international herbal references characterize yarrow as anti-inflammatory and associate its activity with the proazulene fraction, chamazulene- related constituents, and flavonoids. Urtica dioica is documented throughout Georgia and contains flavonoids, amines, mineral constituents, phenolic compounds, and other constituents. The PDR monograph describes inhibition of cyclooxygenase-derived reactions and leukotriene B4 synthesis by nettle leaf preparations or isolated phenolic material, providing a more direct biochemical link to inflammatory pathways. Matricaria recutita is characterized by a volatile oil rich in bisabolol-related compounds and chamazulene precursors together with flavonoids, especially apigenin derivatives. The su pplied monographs describe several anti -inflammatory actions and topical applications, while also showing that not every clinical use has been confirmed consistently. Calendula officinalis contains triterpene alcohols and their esters, flavonoids, carotenoids, saponins, coumarins, and volatile oil. Its strongest source - supported role concerns topical inflammation and wound care, with pharmacological attention focused particularly on faradiol and related triterpenoid fractions. Taken together, the books support the pharmacognostic relevance of all four plants, but they do not justify treating traditional use, experimental activity, and established clinical efficacy as equivalent forms of evidence. The most defensible interpretation is therefore comparative: these plants provide chemically different anti - inflammatory profiles and illustrate how botanical identity, plant part, preparation, standardization, and safety determine whether a traditional medicinal plant can be translated into a reproducible therapeutic product.
Institutions: Tbilisi State Medical University, Alte University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7224745848