Phytochemistry, Biological Synthesis, and Pharmacology of Flavonoids from Genus Polygonatum

Polygonatum Mill. is a member of the Liliaceae family that is widely distributed across the world. Modern pharmacological and phytochemical studies have demonstrated that Polygonatum species have abundant bioactive chemical constituents, including saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Among them, flavonoids have attracted growing research interest due to their remarkable pharmacological properties; to date, 93 flavonoids have been isolated and characterized from this genus. These flavonoids exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. For this review, articles were retrieved by searching online databases including ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar and CNKI. Research published from 1997 to March 2026 is systematically reviewed herein, with a focus on the structural characteristics, plausible biosynthetic pathways and pharmacological activities of flavonoids from this genus. This review presents updated, comprehensive, and classified information on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of flavonoids in the genus Polygonatum, aiming to provide a reference for the further exploitation and utilization of Polygonatum resources.