Medicinal Species: Phytochemistry, Biosynthesis, and Bioactivities.

As a genus of the Asteraceae, is widely distributed all over the world, and several of them are being used in traditional medicines. A number of metabolites were isolated from species, and some of these have shown to possess ranges of pharmacological activities. The genus contains abundant sesquiterpenoids, such as eudesmanes, xanthanes, and sesquiterpenoid dimers and trimers. In addition, other types of terpenoids, flavonoids, and lignins also exist in the genus . Since 2010, more than 300 new secondary metabolites, including several known natural products that were isolated for the first time from the genus . Most of them exhibited potential bioactivities in various diseases. The review aimed to summarize the advance of recent researches (2010-2020) on phytochemical constituents, biosynthesis, and pharmacological properties of the genus for providing a scientific basis and supporting its application and exploitation for new drug development.