Persicaria senegalensis (Meisn.) Sojak: A review on identifying features, traditional uses, and biological activities

Background Persicaria senegalensis (Meisn.) Sojak is an understudied member of the Polygonaceae Juss. family. Aim This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the documented knowledge of Persicaria senegalensis, summarising traditional, biological, and phytochemistry to highlight research gaps and emphasise the medicinal potential of this abundant herb to encourage future research that will ultimately facilitate its potential incorporation into evidence-based healthcare practices and sustainable agriculture. Method PubMed, PubChem, Google Scholar, Scopus, Springer, Science Direct, and books were searched using the following terms: Persicaria senegalensis, Polygonum glutinosum, Polygonum lanigerum, Polygonum sambesiacum, Polygonum senegalense, Polygonum senegalensis, and Amblygonum senegalense. Only articles written in English were included. Articles addressing antioxidant activity were excluded. Results In addition to its ecological value as a heavy metal extractant and nutrient accumulator, it has a rich history of traditional uses, throughout Africa for the treatment of hemorrhoids, abdominal pain, diarrhea, malaria, skin troubles, syphilis, ectoparasites, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and gynecological infections. Biological activities investigated include anti-feedant effects, sub-clinical mastitis, larvicidal, molluscicidal, anticancer, antibacterial, and anti-diabetes effects. Several compounds have been isolated from this species and investigated for their antiplasmodial, larvicidal and anti-schistosomiasis activity. Conclusion Many traditional uses of P. senegalensis remain uninvestigated and should be considered for future studies. Furthermore, studies confirming safety, efficacy, and the identification of active principles are lacking and would contribute to the value and applicability of current research findings.