Background & Aims: Herbs and their products have been used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases for a long time. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 80 percent of the world's population, especially in developing or low-income countries, treat their illnesses with herbs and traditional methods. The Capparis plant is one of the thousands of plants that is thousands of years old in herbal and traditional medicine and is important in many parts of the world, especially in West and Central Asia. The name of this plant is mentioned in various books of medicinal plants. According to ancient scholars and modern scientists, all parts of this plant such as leaves, roots, stems, fruits and seeds of this plant have different benefits. The study tries to introduce this plant and its properties and applications in traditional and modern medicine. The root bark of this plant is used to increase appetite, heal wounds, diarrhea, treat hemorrhoids and even spleen diseases. The bark of this plant has been used to treat rheumatism and gout and as a sputum-satisfying medicine in lung diseases. Stem and root bark extract has been used as an anti-diarrheal and anti-tuberculosis drug. The fresh fruits of this plant are used to treat sciatica and joint swelling. The dried and powdered fruit of this plant in combination with honey is used to treat colds, rheumatism, gout and back pain. The seeds of this plant are used to relieve toothache as well as regulate women's menstruation.
Methods: This research was conducted through a library study method in which valid medical and pharmacy books and reference of traditional medicine as well as new botanical books in the sections related to this plant, including its nature, botanical characteristics, actions and medicinal and therapeutic properties were studied. Also, searches in valid domestic and foreign databases in the period 2010 to 2020 such as PUBMED, Google Scholar, SID have been done and the background and conclusions of the contents are included in this review.
Results: In books and articles about the effect of this plant, its therapeutic properties have been mentioned, especially liver diseases, spleen and rheumatism. Has been studied; and its effects have been confirmed in the laboratory. Research has shown that the extract extracted from different parts of this plant works well against a variety of bacteria. The results showed that the extract of this plant has a high ability to fight Staphylococcus and Streptococcus bacteria. Regarding inflammation, it was shown that the extract of this plant has a powerful inhibitory effect on the inflammatory process. The venomeric protein in this plant inhibits the translation of hiv-1 and lectin extracted from this plant can fight the spread of hiv, breast cancer and hepatitis. In addition to laboratory conditions, the anti-inflammatory effect of this plant extract in mice showed that the extract of this plant has high anti-inflammatory properties, but its pain relieving properties were not very strong. The vitamins in the Capparis plant are also the new known antioxidant caparizide in this plant, which has an anti-cancer role. In a more detailed study of plant components, root extract and aerial parts of Capparis were obtained by different solvents. Ethyl acetate extract of the aerial part of the plant has the highest concentration of flavonoids and phenolic compounds, followed by chloroform extract of this plant has the highest concentration of these substances. High antioxidant activity was observed in different parts of this plant. The results of the effect of the extract of the fruit of this plant on wound healing showed that the extract of this plant had an extraordinary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on the wound and therefore could cause more healing with flavonoids, phenolic acid. Epidermal, angiogenesis, collagen, TGF-B and VEGF. Regarding the effect of this plant in improving diabetes, it was found that Capparis improves the activity of hypoglycemia and hypolipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, researchers studied the effect of this plant on rheumatoid arthritis and found that the aqueous extract of this plant had the greatest effect on reducing arthritis. Therefore, the chemical structure of this extract was investigated and its different sub-branches were identified. Studies on this plant have confirmed its protective effect on the liver, against the factors that cause the liver. One of the ingredients in this plant is methoxy benzoic acid. Regarding the effect of this plant on liver enzymes, the levels of alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total serum bilirubin were significantly reduced. Methoxy benzoic acid protects the liver against the toxic effects of carbon tetrachloride and paracetamol as inducers of hepatotoxicity in vitro as well as anti-hepatotoxic activity against thioacetamide and galactosamine in rat liver cells.
Conclusion: Capparis plant has different species and is distributed in different regions, especially in Asia and around the Mediterranean and North Africa. Today's sages and scientists use this plant to treat various diseases. This plant has different parts of leaves, roots, stems, seeds and fruits. This plant has been used to treat many diseases, including liver and spleen diseases, as well as wound healing and rheumatism and gout. In recent laboratory studies, the consumption of different parts of this plant has been studied and scientists have confirmed its benefits on the body's defense system, blood clotting, prevention of diabetes and arthritis. Its antimicrobial effects have been proven by its function in killing stomach worms and viscera and its antioxidant effects in the external environment of the body and in animal experiments. This plant is also anti-cancer due to its antioxidant properties. The dressing of the seeds of this plant has a tremendous effect on the healing of skin wounds. Given the importance of traditional medicine in Iran and the antiquity of this plant for several thousand years, as well as its widespread distribution in Iran, its cheap price and availability, it seems necessary to know the beneficial effects and even possible harms of this plant. On the other hand, based on previous research and the history of this plant in the treatment of various diseases, the design of new studies, especially on human specimens, seems necessary.