Rich Diversity & Potential Medicinal Value of Endemic Sri Lankan Plant: Jeffreycia zeylanica

The genus Jeffreycia consists of about 109 species to have medicinal properties. Jeffreycia zeylanica (Family: Asteraceae) is commonly referred to as “Heen-botiya, Papula or Pupula in Sinhala and Kappilay or Kuppilay in Tamil”. It is an endemic herbaceous plant in Sri Lanka. Synonyms of Jeffreycia zeylanica are Cacalia zeylanica Kuntze, Eupatorium zeylanicum L., Gymnanthemum zeylanicum (L.), Vernonia zeylanica (L.). This plant can create secondary metabolites that may have substantial bioactivity. Extracts from leaves, stems and aerial parts are rich in alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, triterpenoids, polyphenols, and saponins. These bioactive compounds lead to various pharmacological properties of Jeffreycia zeylanica. It is utilized in both Ayurvedic and folk medicine in a variety of methods to treat various illnesses, such as bone fractures, eczema, asthma, diarrhea, wound, and abscesses also as an anti-venom. Several studies have been carried out on this plant, including the evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity, antinociceptive activity, antioxidant activity, and anti-tumor activity. The lack of considerable toxicity associated with the plant Jeffreycia zeylanica makes it a choice for future development of therapeutic products, with the combination of traditional and novel technologies. A significant number of presently used antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anthelminthic, and antitumor agents are compounds isolated from plants or their synthetic or semisynthetic derivatives.