Expectations of biologically active compounds of the genus Magnolia in biomedicine

Magnolia bark is a highly aromatic herbal material obtained from Magnolia officinalis (and other species) of the family Magnoliaceae. In traditional oriental herbal medicine, particularly Chinese medicine, this drug is used for many purposes, especially as a mild tranquillizer. The principal active compounds are the biphenol compounds, magnolol and honokiol, together with other biologically active compounds, which exert numerous and diverse pharmacological actions. Recent research has produced further evidence for the mechanism of their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumour activities, and these will be outlined in this review.