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Abstract Background Tea or Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze is the most consumed beverage after water. Its consumption has been considered a health promoting habit since historical times which has now been scientifically proven for its immense beneficial characteristics to human health. Tea is enriched with polyphenolic compounds which exhibit antioxidant activity. Objective The objective is to summarize the phytochemistry, ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological uses of the C. sinensis along with the identification of the research gaps. The present study is also focused on draining the attention of researchers toward this household beverage for its better utilization in pharmaceutical preparations. Methods All the relevant data and information on C. sinensis has been compiled from various search data bases such as PubMed, Springer, NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information), Science direct, Google scholar, etc. Results This review article highlights the various forms and formulations of C. sinensis leaves and the pharmacological effects of active constituents present in it. Phytochemical studies of the plant reveal the presence of about 4000 different alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, minerals and vitamins, etc. Catechins (epigallocatechin gallate) are the main constituent of this plant, which act as an antioxidant, anticancer, cognition enhancer and used in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders, neurodegenerative disorders and microbial disease. Apart from this, plant possesses antidiabetic, antidepressant, antibacterial and many more other activities. The other important phytoconstituents of the plant are caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, theaflavins and thearubigins. Conclusion C. sinensis is a valuable medicinal plant and can be studied further for its unrevealed phytoconstituents and pharmacological actions. Active phytoconstituents of tea have been extensively studied through in-vitro, in-vivo and clinical protocols for various pharmacological actions whereas the mechanisms of few phytoconstituents still need to be explored and studied in depth. Hence, it is concluded that plant’s constituents need to be studied more to reveal their mechanism focusing on bioavailability and pharmacokinetics along with their utilization in the prevention of human diseases. Clinical trial number Not applicable.
Kumar et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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