The genus Echium L. from the Boraginaceae family consists of 67 recognised species. The genus is widely distributed in the Mediterranean, having been documented in the traditional medicine of the area since 300 B.C. Current pharmacological studies have validated early ethnomedicinal properties showing that Echium spp. possesses antioxidant, analgesic, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral effects. Nevertheless, only limited papers report specifically on the phytochemistry of this genus. Furthermore, the potential of utilising extracts from Echium species as natural antioxidant preparations has been significantly neglected. For the first time, this review comprehensively describes and discusses the presence of recorded Echium species with ethnomedicinal uses, their antioxidative properties in vitro and in vivo when available, and major phytochemical components recognised as potent antioxidants, as well as the possibilities and opportunities for future research.

中文翻译：

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蓝蓟属（紫草科）的抗氧化特性和已报道的民族药用用途。


紫草科蓝蓟属 ( Echium L.) 由 67 个已知物种组成。该属广泛分布于地中海地区，自公元前 300 年起就在该地区的传统医学中有所记载。目前的药理学研究已经验证了早期的民族药用特性，表明蓝蓟属属植物具有良好的药用价值。具有抗氧化、镇痛、抗焦虑、抗炎、抗菌和抗病毒作用。然而，只有有限的论文专门报道了该属的植物化学。此外，利用蓝蓟属物种提取物作为天然抗氧化剂制剂的潜力已被严重忽视。这篇综述首次全面描述和讨论了已记录的具有民族药用用途的蓝蓟属物种的存在、它们在体外和体内的抗氧化特性（如果有）、被认为是有效抗氧化剂的主要植物化学成分，以及未来的可能性和机遇。研究。