Glasswort (Salicornia spp)‎ as a source of bioactive compounds and its health benefits : a review

الملخص EN

Glasswort (Salicornia spp) belonging to (Chenopodiaceae) family is widely distributed in salt marshes on beaches and among mangroves.

It shows great biotechnological potential as a salt-water irrigated crop.

Glasswort has been prescribed in traditional medicines to treat a variety of diseases like nephropathy, hepatitis, intestinal ailments, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and cancer.

A variety of pharmacological experiments have revealed that glasswort solvent extract has anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, anti-proliferative, and anti-inflammatory activities.

Many bioactive compounds have been isolated from Salicornia such as tungtungmadic acid, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside and betalain.

Due to easy collection of the plant and its remarkable biological activities, this genus has been used nearly worldwide as food and folk medicine.

The present review focuse on bioactive compounds isolated from Salicornia species and its pharmacological aspects.