Phytochemical Profiles and Therapeutic Potential of Musa Spp.: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Herbal plants have been fundamental to human health for millennia, serving as natural therapeutics for a wide spectrum of pathologies. With over 50,000 species in use worldwide, medicinal plants are favored over synthetic pharmaceuticals due to their lower toxicity profiles and efficacy. Key plant structures, including seeds, roots, leaves, and flowers, contain bioactive compounds with significant pharmacological properties, such as anticancer and antimicrobial activities. The therapeutic utilization of medicinal plants dates back over 60,000 years, with documented references from ancient civilizations, including India, China, and Egypt, attesting to their medicinal applications.

The banana plant (genus Musa) exemplifies a prominent medicinal herb, with various parts such as flowers, leaves, peel, stem, and root exhibiting substantial therapeutic potential. Banana flowers have demonstrated anticancer activity, while extracts from banana peel and stem are rich in bioactive constituents with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. The nutritional and medicinal attributes of banana plants, notably their high content of vitamins, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, contribute to their therapeutic applications in managing diseases like diabetes, cancer, and neurological disorders. Diverse extraction techniques, such as solvent extraction and Soxhlet extraction, are employed to isolate bioactive compounds from banana plant material, which exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial, antifungal, and antidiabetic effects.

This review emphasizes the extensive pharmacological potential of herbal plants, with particular focus on the banana plant’s multifaceted therapeutic properties, its bioactive constituents, and its prospective role in addressing various health conditions.