Table 1.
List of ethnomedicinal uses of plants of the family Caryophyllaceae
| Plant name | Part used | Ethnomedicinal use | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acanthophyllum squarrosum Boiss | Root | Inhibit urease activity & thus prevent gastric upsets | 19 |
| Arenaria bryophylla Fernald | Whole plant | Tablets used to control inflammation/pain of kidney & burning sensation of bladder/urine tract | 20, 21 |
| Arenaria festucoides Benth. | Aerial parts | In Tibetan system of medicine used to cure tsha-ba of lungs | 22 |
| Arenaria griffithii Boiss. | Aerial parts | Used in menstruation disorder & bile disorder | 23, 24 |
| Arenaria rubra L. = (Spergularia rubra J. et Prestl.) | Aerial parts | Decoction used as diuretic, antiseptic, for treating diseases related to the renal systems | 25, 26, 27 |
| Arenaria serpyllifolia L. | Aerial parts | Decoction used in bladder diseases, calculus troubles, chronic cystitis, & along with minerals & medicinal stones used to promote kidney functions | 28, 20 |
| Cerastium cerastoides (L.) Britton. | Leaf, aerial shoot parts | Used in headache, renal colic, body ache, & decoction used in cough | 23, 29 |
| Cerastium chlorifolium Fisch. & C.A. Mey | Aerial parts | Used as antiseptic in wounds | 30 |
| Cerastium fontanum Baumg | Whole plant | Used in fever, coughs, & as refrigerant | 31, 32 |
| Cerastium glomeratum Thuill. | Whole plant | Traditionally used as diuretic, galactofuge, & tonic | 33 |
| Corrigiola telephiifolia Pourr. | Root | Used to treat flu, dermatological diseases, inflammation, ulcer, coughs, jaundice, anaesthetic, & diuretic | 34 |
| Dianthus anatolicus Boiss | Whole plant | As an antipyretic in intermittent fever & general tonic | 35, 36 |
| Dianthus barbatu s L. | Whole plant | Used as substitute of Dianthus chinensis L. | 37 |
| Dianthus basuticus Burtt. Dav. | Root | Decoction for purification of blood, flatulency, & fertility in bulls | 38 |
| Dianthus caryophyllus L. | Flower buds | In the treatment of gum infections, gastro-intestinal disorder, wounds, throat infection, cardiotonic, diaphoretic, alexiteric, and used as vermifuge | 39, 40 |
| Dianthus chinensis L. | Whole plant | In the treatment of menostasis, gonorrhea, diuretic, emmenagogue, & coughs | 37, 41 |
| Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Schult. | Whole plant, fresh leaves | Paste applied on fore head to cure headache, to cure itching & ring warm, cure peptic ulcer & nephritis | 42, 43 |
| Drymaria villosa Schltdl. & Cham. | Whole plant | Juice used to treat gastric troubles, pneumonia, & sinusitis | 44, 45 |
| Gypsophila oldhamiana Miq. | Aerial parts | Used to treat lung diseases, typhoid, jaundice, rheumatism, fever, & infantile malnutrition syndrome | 46, 47 |
| Gypsophila paniculata L | Root | Used for washing hair & clothes | 35 |
| Herniaria erckertii F. Herm | Whole plant | Decoction used to cure sore throat | 38 |
| Lepyrodiclis holosteoides (C.A. Mey.) Fenzl ex Fisch. & C.A. Mey. | Aerial parts | Used as a vegetable, considered an appetizer & laxative | 48 |
| Lychnis coronaria (L.) Desr.= (Silene coronaria (Desr.) Clairv. ex Rchb) | Leaf, root | Used to treat leprosy, diarrhea, heal cuts & inflamed wounds; root show hepato-protactive function | 49, 50, 51 |
| Lychnis coronata Thunb. | Flower, leaf | Used to treat skin infection & inflammation, & applied in herpes | 47 |
| Melandrium firmum (Siebold & Zucc.) Rohrb. = (Silene firma Siebold & Zucc.) | Whole plant | Used for gonorrhoea, galactagogue, emmenagogue, & contraception | 52 |
| Pollichia campestris Aiton | Leaves, flower, roots | Leaves & flowers of plant used for sore throat & skin diseases; cooked roots to treat bronchitis & heavy coughs | 38, 53 |
| Polycarpaea corymbosa (L.) Lam. | Whole plant | Anti-inflammatory, astringent, demulcent; plant-spermicidal, applied as poultice, prescribed in jaundice in the form of pills with molasses | 54 |
| Polycarpon prostratum (Forssk.) Asch. & Schweinf | Leaves, whole plant | Infusion of roasted leaves is given for coughs following fever, particularly in measles; 1–2 cup of decoction in an empty stomach during suffering from malarial fever | 54, 55 |
| Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax | Root | Used as paediatric, geriatric tonic, & to treat tuberculosis | 47, 56 |
| Sagina saginoides (L.) H. Karst. | Whole plant | Used to treat food poisoning, diarrhea, cold, & fever | 23 |
| Saponaria officinalis L. | Whole plant | Used for cough, bronchitis, stomach disorders, bone deformations, rheumatism, pimples, skin diseases, bile disorders, hepatic eruptions, venereal ulcers, respiratory system diseases, jaundice, & urine remover | 7, 54 |
| Saponaria vaccaria L. = (Vaccaria pyramidata Medik.) | Whole plant | The mucilaginous sap used as febrifugal, in chronic fevers, treatment of furuncles & scabies | 54 |
| Silene conoidea L. | Root | Used as emollient, to wash wounds & hair, also used as a fumigant, & juice used in opthalmia | 57, 58, 59 |
| Silene flos-cuculi (L.) Greuter & Burdet | Flower | Decoction (added to wine) used to treat headache, malaria, & stomach pains | 60 |
| Silene italica (L.) Pers. | Seed | To cure sore throat | 61 |
| Silene jenisseensis Willd. | Root | Used to treat fever in infant malnutrition & fever due to Yin-deficiency | 62 |
| Silene moorcroftiana Wall. ex Benth | Leaf, stem | Used to treat ear & nose problems, leaves warmed in mustard oil & applied on the swollen skin to release pus, juice of boiled leaves used as a mouthwash & gargle for inflammation of the mouth & throat; stem is chewed as an aphrodisiac agent | 23, 63 |
| Silene nigrescens (Edgew.) Majumdar | Root | Powder consumed with hot water to protect from cold, cures hair diseases, dandruff, & lice | 64 |
| Silene pilosellifolia Cham. & Schltdl. | Whole plant | Treat fever in delirious patients & for compounding of various other traditional medicines | 38 |
| Silene setisperma Majumdar | Leaves | Used as vegetable & considered as appetizer | 65 |
| Silene viridiflora L. | Aerial parts | Phytoecdysteroid cocktail, obtained from the aerial parts recommended as an effective adaptogene for use in sports, reduced functioning, medicine, & poor restoration after serious illnesses & heavy physical exertion | 8, 66 |
| Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke | Young shoots, leaves | Cooked as a vegetable, considered as good for bronchitis & asthma, used in traditional Spanish dishes | 57, 67, 68 |
| Stellaria aquatic (L.) Scop. | Leaves | Decoction used in galactorrhea | 54 |
| Stellaria dichotoma L. | Root | Used in the treatment of fever & infant's malnutrition with fever | 70, 79 |
| Stellaria media (L.) Vill. | Whole plant | Used as antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, refrigerant, demulcent, emollient, vulnerary, antipruritic, infusion used to relieve in itching & to cure psoriasis; whole plant applied as a plaster for broken bones & swellings | 54, 59, 71 |
| Stellaria rubra Scop. | Whole plant | Juice rich in vitamin C & used in treatment of scurvy, weakness after illness, lung congestion, & tuberculosis | 69 |
| Stellaria vestita Kurz = (Stellaria saxatilis Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) | Whole plant | Boiled in water & liquid obtained used to assuage aching bones, treat cough, hemorrhage, rheumatism & treat cut & wounds | 45, 47 |
| Stellaria yunnanensis Franch. | Root | Decoction used in appetite loss & dizziness | 72 |