Evaluation of Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities of Combretum vendae A.E. Van Wyk (Combretaceae).

<i>Combretum vendae</i> A.E. Van Wyk, commonly known as "Venda bushwillow", is a deciduous shrub or small tree endemic to the Blouberg and Soutpansberg mountain ranges in the Limpopo province in South Africa. A critical review is presented here that focuses on the medicinal uses, phytochemicals and <i>in vitro</i> biological activities of <i>C. vendae</i>. To this end, multidisciplinary scientific publications, which included books, book chapters and scientific journals obtained from the university library and scientific databases such as PubMed<sup>®</sup>, Web of Science, Scopus<sup>®</sup>, Google Scholar, SciELO, ScienceDirect<sup>®</sup> and SpringerLink<sup>®</sup> were surveyed for the medicinal uses, phytochemical and <i>in vitro</i> biological activities of <i>C. vendae</i>. The leaf or root decoctions of <i>C. vendae </i>are taken orally or applied topically as traditional medicine for bacterial and fungal infections, blood purification, leprosy and as an ophthalmic. Phytochemical compounds identified from <i>C. vendae</i> include flavonoids, polyphenolics, tannins, proanthocyanidin, anthocyanin, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides and flavanols. The phytochemical compounds isolated from <i>C. vendae </i>and its extracts demonstrated antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiplatelet and cytotoxicity activities. Future research on <i>C. vendae </i>should focus on detailed phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological evaluations, as well as <i>in vivo</i> and clinical studies.