A Systematic Assessment of Medicinal Plant Research in Cold-Arid Ladakh

High-altitude medicinal plants are becoming more widely acknowledged in the pharmaceutical, therapeutic, and medical sectors as a highly important source of bioactive chemicals. In order to assess research trends in GC-MS profiling, phytochemical characterization, and the nutraceutical potential of medicinal plants from the Trans-Himalayan area of Ladakh, we collected published literature from the last 25 years (2000–2025) for this scoping review. The search was restricted to the years 2000–2025 since systematic phytochemical and GC-MS-based investigations on Ladakh flora are very new, with very little peer-reviewed work published before to 2000. Furthermore, the search technique was broadened to include more ethnobotanical keywords in addition to GC-MS. Through methodical database searches, 1,111 research papers were found; However, there is a significant geographical study deficit in this biologically distinct and ecologically vulnerable region, since just 39 investigations were carried out exclusively in Ladakh. According to the data, flowers and fruits have received the least amount of research attention, whereas leaves, the entire plant, and roots have been studied the most. Phytocompounds were found in 33 different plant species in the GC-MS analysis; the number of compounds found ranged from four to 88. An examination of publication timelines reveals a distinct rising trend in research on medicinal plants unique to Ladakh, especially after 2015. This suggests that scientific interest in these plants is expanding, but they are still underrepresented in comparison to the region's great biodiversity. This study highlights the unrealized potential of Ladakh's medicinal flora and shows a significant degree of chemical diversity. Overall, this study highlights current research gaps, current research trends, and the need for more systematic phytochemical investigation of medicinal plants from Ladakh's Trans-Himalayan area.