This mini review describes the research between 1962 and 2019 on ethnobotany, chemistry and pharmacology of Harungana madagascariensis (Hypericaceae), the unique plant species in the genus Harungana. The plant is mainly distributed in Africa and Europe, where it has been used in the traditional medicine to cure several diseases. The first chemical investigation of H. madagascariensis genus took place earlier in 1962 with the isolation of harunganin whose the structure was characterized by X-ray. Several works have been done over the last 57 years on leaves, bark, roots and branches of the plant and as result, 42 secondary metabolites belonging to numerous classes of compounds including anthranoids, anthraquinones, xanthones, triterpenoids, flavonoids, steroids and alkaloids have been isolated and are presented herein together with some derivatives obtained from chemical transformations including thermal rearrangement and allylation. The anthranoids reported from natural sources represent almost 49 % of the total secondary metabolites obtained from the genus and display the most potent biological activities. Along with anthraquinones, they constitute the chemo markers of Harungana. The extracts and compounds from the plant have been evaluated for their potencies in antimicrobial, anti-protozoan, anti-sickling, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, enzyme inhibition or cytotoxic activities. The results support the uses of H. madagascariensis in folk medicine and provide further evidence in new drugs discovery.

这篇简短的综述介绍了1962年至2019年之间关于Harungana madagascariensis（Hypericaceae）的种族植物学，化学和药理学的研究，该植物是Harungana属的独特植物。该植物主要分布在非洲和欧洲，在传统医学中已被用于治疗多种疾病。马达加斯加i虫的首次化学研究该属于1962年初发生，其结构以X射线为特征，并分离出了harunganin。在过去的57年中，已经在植物的叶子，树皮，根和枝上完成了几项工作，结果，已经发现了42种次生代谢物，它们属于多种化合物，包括蒽类，蒽醌，黄原酮，三萜类，类黄酮，类固醇和生物碱。分离并与从化学转化获得的一些衍生物（包括热重排和烯丙基化）一起呈现在本文中。从自然资源中获得的蒽类化合物占该属次生代谢产物的近49％，显示出最有效的生物学活性。它们与蒽醌一起构成Harungana的化学标记。已经评估了该植物的提取物和化合物在抗微生物，抗原生动物，抗病菌，抗炎，抗氧化剂，酶抑制或细胞毒性活性方面的功效。研究结果支持了马达加斯加H. madagascariensis在民间医学中的用途，并为发现新药提供了进一步的证据。