Puerarin: A Review of Pharmacological Effects

Puerarin is the major bioactive ingredient isolated from the root of the Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi, which is well known as Gegen (Chinese name) in traditional Chinese medicine. As the most abundant secondary metabolite, puerarin was isolated from Gegen in the late 1950s. Since then, its pharmacological properties have been extensively investigated. It is available in common foods and is used in alternative medicine. It has been widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and diabetic complications, osteonecrosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, endometriosis, and cancer. The beneficial effects of puerarin on the various medicinal purposes may be due to…