RESEARCH PROGRESS IN CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF GEUM SPECIES

There are about 70 species in the genus Geum, of these 6 species are found in China［1～4］. Some species, such as G.aleppicum Jacq, G.japonicum Thunb. and G.japonicum Thunb. var. chinense Bolle, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and Japanese folk medicine. They are applied to remove toxic heat, enrich blood and reinforce qi and yin, relieve cough in consumptive diseases, and alleviate hypertension［4,5］. Some interesting chemical and pharmacological studies have been reported on Geum species in recent years. The present review deals with the chemical constituents of the Geum species and their biological activities.