Phytochemical, Pharmaceutical and Biochemical Activites of Selected Climber Plants: A Review

Climber plants have attracted global attention for their hidden therapeutic potential and are generally rooted on the ground, but leaves often in full sun and blanketing canopies of trees. Climbers rely on some support from other plants and have active and passive climbing mechanisms with great diversity. Tropical forests are the harbors of enormous different fauna and flora species than any other ecosystem on earth and Malaysia is a biodiversity hotspot in Asia with a good amount of tropical forest cover. On the other hand, Iran is an important source of Herbal plants due to the weather and geographical situation. In this review six species of Malaysian and Iranian plants (Hedera helix, Rosa canina, Vitis vinifera, Aristolochia tagala, Gynura procumbens and Antigonon leptopus) are selected and botanical description, geographical distribution, chemical constituent and medicinal properties of each species is discussed. Despite the rich ethno-medicine knowledge behind the traditional uses of climber plants, the current scientific evidence to support these claims remains scant. More research is still needed to validate the medicinal aspects, beginning by increasing the understanding of the biological actions of the climber plants.