The genus Cordia: botanists, ethno, chemical and pharmacological

Species of the genus Cordia, Boraginaceae, are widely studied with regard to the various ethnobotanicaland ethnopharmacological aspects. They are found principally in tropical and subtropical regions of theAmerican,AsianandAfricancontinents,wheretheyoccurinvariouscountries.InthegenusCordia,thereare many species cultivated for ornamental plants, wood and medicinal applications, where they areextensively utilized by traditional communities. In the last decades, scientific studies of Cordia specieshaveintensified,demonstratingthegreatinterestinphytochemical,biologicalandpharmacologicalstud-ies. In this review, we describe the principal botanical aspects, ethnopharmacological information andevaluation ofthebioactiveandpharmacologicalpropertiesofCordia,itsphytochemicalconstituentsandthe most common classes of secondary metabolites identified. The information reported in this workcontributes scientifically to recognizing the importance of the genus Cordia as a target in the search fornew biotechnological investments.© 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.