Cancer remains one of the most pressing health challenges worldwide, with conventional treatments often accompanied by significant side effects and limited efficacy in certain cases. In this context, the exploration of natural remedies and alternative thera- pies has gained momentum. One such promising candidate is As- paragus racemosus, commonly known as Shatavari. This medici- nal plant, revered in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, is known for its potential therapeutic properties, including anticancer activity. This review aims to explore nutritional and anticancer properties of Asparagus racemosus roots. Asparagus racemosus has a rich history of medicinal use, particularly in Ayurveda, where it is prized for its adaptogenic, immunomodulatory, and rejuvenating properties. Recent scientific research has begun to validate these traditional claims, identifying various bioactive compounds in Shatavari that exhibit promising anticancer activities. Under- standing the full spectrum of its therapeutic potential is crucial, especially in light of the growing interest in plant-based treat- ments and the need for safer, more effective cancer therapies.
NAMES:
ONLINE ISSN:2456-8244
Keywords: Asparagus racemosus Anti cancer Phytochemicals Roots Ayurveda
DOI:
1. Adwas AA, Elsayed A, Azab AE, Quwaydir
FA. Oxidative stress and antioxidant mech-
anisms in human body. J. Appl. Biotechnol.
Bioeng. 2019 Feb 21;6(1):43-7.
2. Aggarwal BB, Bhardwaj A, Aggarwal RS,
Seeram NP, Shishodia S, Takada Y. Role of
resveratrol in prevention and therapy of
cancer: preclinical and clinical studies. An-
ticancer research. 2004 Sep 1;24(5A):2783-
840.
3. Akbari B, Baghaei‐Yazdi N, Bahmaie M,
Mahdavi Abhari F. The role of plant‐derived
natural antioxidants in reduction of oxida-
tive stress. BioFactors. 2022 May;48(3):611-
33.
4. Akhtara M. Asparagus Racemosus
(Shatavari): A potent herbal plant for com-
bating neurodegenerative diseases. Neu-
roQuantology. 2022;20(15):3543.
5. Anesini C, Perez C. Screening of plants used
in Argentine folk medicine for antimicrobial
activity. Journal of ethnopharmacology.
1993 Jun 1;39(2):119-28.
6. Balkrishna A, Sharma N, Srivastava D,
Kukreti A, Srivastava S, Arya V. Exploring
the Safety, Efficacy, and Bioactivity of Herb-
al Medicines: Bridging Traditional Wisdom
and Modern Science in Healthcare. Future
Integrative Medicine. 2024 Mar 25;3(1):35-
49.
7. Baradaran Rahimi V, Ghadiri M, Ramezani
M, Askari VR. Antiinflammatory and anti‐
cancer activities of pomegranate and its
constituent, ellagic acid: Evidence from cel-
lular, animal, and clinical studies. Phyto-
therapy research. 2020 Apr;34(4):685-720.
8. Bernatoniene J, Kopustinskiene DM. The
role of catechins in cellular responses to
oxidative stress. Molecules. 2018 Apr 20;23
(4):965.
9. Bharati J, Kumar S. Shatavari (Asparagus
racemosus). Phytobiotics and Animal Pro-
duction. International Books & Periodical
Supply Service, Delhi, India. 2019:567-90.
10. Biswas D, Mathur M, Bhargava S, Malhotra
H, Malhotra B. Anticancer activity of root
extracts in nonsmall cell lung cancer Aspar-
agus racemosus A549 cells. Asian J Pharm
Pharmacol. 2018;4:764-70.
11. Boroumand N, Samarghandian S, Hashemy
SI. Immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory,
and antioxidant effects of curcumin. Jour-
nal of Herbmed Pharmacology. 2018 Oct
6;7(4):211-9.
12. Boulaajine S, Hajjaj H. Lycopene Extracted
from Tomato-A Review. Food Science and
Technology. 2024;12(1):1-4.
13. Cecerska-Heryć E, Wiśniewska Z, Serwin N,
Polikowska A, Goszka M, Engwert W,
Michałów J, Pękała M, Budkowska M,
Michalczyk A, Dołęgowska B. Can Com-
pounds of Natural Origin Be Important in
Chemoprevention? Anticancer Properties of
Quercetin, Resveratrol, and Curcumin—A
Comprehensive Review. International Jour-
nal of Molecular Sciences. 2024 Apr 19;25
(8):4505.
14. Cui X, Lin Q, Liang Y. Plant-derived antioxi-
dants protect the nervous system from ag-
ing by inhibiting oxidative stress. Frontiers
in aging neuroscience. 2020 Jul 14;12:209.
15. de Oliveira FL, Arruda TY, da Silva Lima R,
Casarotti SN, Morzelle MC. Pomegranate as
a natural source of phenolic antioxidants: a
review. Journal of Food Bioactives. 2020
Mar 31;9.
16. de Visser KE, Joyce JA. The evolving tumor
microenvironment: From cancer initiation
to metastatic outgrowth. Cancer Cell. 2023
Mar 13;41(3):374-403.
17. Del Follo-Martinez A, Banerjee N, Li X, Safe
S, Mertens-Talcott S. Resveratrol and quer-
cetin in combination have anticancer activi-
ty in colon cancer cells and repress onco-
genic microRNA-27a. Nutrition and cancer.
2013 Apr 1;65(3):494-504.
18. Dhar R, Seethy A, Singh S, Pethusamy K,
Srivastava T, Talukdar J, Rath GK,
Karmakar S. Cancer immunotherapy: Re-
cent advances and challenges. Journal of
Cancer Research and Therapeutics. 2021
Jul 1;17(4):834-44.
19. El-senosi Y, Aziza S, Elsonbaty S, Abo Alella
MS. Role of Asparagus racemosus root in
the amelioration of hepatocellular carcino-
ma in rat. Benha Veterinary Medical Jour-
nal. 2021 Jul 1;40(2):111-6.
20. Fatima N, Baqri SS, Alsulimani A, Fagoonee
S, Slama P, Kesari KK, Roychoudhury S,
Haque S. Phytochemicals from Indian eth-
nomedicines: Promising prospects for the
management of oxidative stress and cancer.
Antioxidants. 2021 Oct 13;10(10):1606.
21. Fernandes Q, Inchakalody VP, Bedhiafi T,
Mestiri S, Taib N, Uddin S, Merhi M, Der-
mime S. Chronic inflammation and cancer;
the two sides of a coin. Life Sciences. 2023
Dec 30:122390.
22. Girgih A, Ichoron N, Akinsola A, Igoli J.
Free Radicals and Antioxidant Quenching
Properties of Plant Phytochemicals in the
Management of Oxidative Stress. InPlant
Food Phytochemicals and Bioactive Com-
pounds in Nutrition and Health 2024 Feb
27 (pp. 202-240). CRC Press.
23. Godyla-Jabłoński M, Raczkowska E, Jod-
kowska A, Kucharska AZ, Sozański T, Bron-
kowska M. Effects of Anthocyanins on Com-
ponents of Metabolic Syndrome—A Review.
Nutrients. 2024 Apr 9;16(8):1103.
24. Gupta J, Ahuja A, Gupta R. Green ap-
proaches for cancers management: An effec-
tive tool for health care. Anti-Cancer Agents
in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current
Medicinal Chemistry-Anti-Cancer Agents).
2022 Jan 1;22(1):101-14.
25. Hooda P, Malik R, Bhatia S, Al-Harrasi A,
Najmi A, Zoghebi K, Halawi MA, Makeen
HA, Mohan S. Phytoimmunomodulators: A
review of natural modulators for complex
immune system. Heliyon. 2024 Jan 1.
26. Hooda P, Malik R, Bhatia S, Al-Harrasi A,
Najmi A, Zoghebi K, Halawi MA, Makeen
HA, Mohan S. Phytoimmunomodulators: A
review of natural modulators for complex
immune system. Heliyon. 2024 Jan 1.
27. Hor PK, Goswami D, Ghosh K, Takó M, Hal-
der SK, Mondal KC. Preparation of rice fer-
mented food using root of Asparagus race-
mosus as herbal starter and assessment of
its nutrient profile. Systems Microbiology
and Biomanufacturing. 2022 Jan;2:147-56.
28. International Agency for Research on Can-
cer (IARC) at https://www.iarc.who.int/
pressrelease/latest-global-cancer-data-
cancer-burden-rises-to-19-3-million-new-
cases-and-10-0-million-cancer-deaths-in-
2020/.
29. Iqbal J, Abbasi BA, Mahmood T, Kanwal S,
Ali B, Shah SA, Khalil AT. Plant-derived an-
ticancer agents: A green anticancer ap-
proach. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical
Biomedicine. 2017 Dec 1;7(12):1129-50.
30. Iqbal MJ, Kabeer A, Abbas Z, Siddiqui HA,
Calina D, Sharifi-Rad J, Cho WC. Interplay
of oxidative stress, cellular communication
and signaling pathways in cancer. Cell
Communication and Signaling. 2024 Jan
2;22(1):7.
31. Jamal S, Hudson M, Fifi-Mah A, Ye C. Im-
mune-related adverse events associated
with cancer immunotherapy: a review for
the practicing rheumatologist. The Journal
of rheumatology. 2020 Feb 1;47(2):166-75.
32. Jin SK, Kim GD, Jeong JY. Evaluation of
the effect of inhibiting lipid oxidation of nat-
ural plant sources in a meat model system.
Journal of Food Quality. 2021 Jun 3;2021:1
-8.
33. John D. One hundred useful raw drugs of
the Kani tribes of Trivandrum forest divi-
sion, Kerala, India. International Journal of
Crude Drug Research. 1984 Jan 1;22(1):17-
39.
34. Kapoor M, Mawal P, Gupta RC. Antioxidant
potential, total phenolic and flavonoid con-
tent of roots of seven asparagus species
from North-west India. International Jour-
nal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Re-
search. 2019;10:3837-42.
35. Kaur P, Makanjuola VO, Arora R, Singh B,
Arora S. Immunopotentiating significance of
conventionally used plant adaptogens as
modulators in biochemical and molecular
signalling pathways in cell mediated pro-
cesses. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.
2017 Nov 1;95:1815-29.
36. Kaur P, Makanjuola VO, Arora R, Singh B,
Arora S. Immunopotentiating significance of
conventionally used plant adaptogens as
modulators in biochemical and molecular
signalling pathways in cell mediated pro-
cesses. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.
2017 Nov 1;95:1815-29.
37. Kim CH, Park MK, Kim SK, Cho YH. Antiox-
idant capacity and anti‐inflammatory activi-
ty of lycopene in watermelon. International
journal of food science & technology. 2014
Sep;49(9):2083-91.
38. Kohli D, Champawat PS, Mudgal VD. As-
paragus (Asparagus racemosus L.) roots:
nutritional profile, medicinal profile, preser-
vation, and value addition. Journal of the
Science of Food and Agriculture. 2023 Mar
30;103(5):2239-50.
39. Kuruppu AI, Paranagama P, Goonasekara
CL. Medicinal plants commonly used
against cancer in traditional medicine for-
mulae in Sri Lanka. Saudi Pharmaceutical
Journal. 2019 May 1;27(4):565-73.
40. Lee YT, Tan YJ, Oon CE. Molecular targeted
therapy: Treating cancer with specificity.
European journal of pharmacology. 2018
Sep 5;834:188-96.
41. Li Y, Cai L, Bi Q, Sun W, Pi Y, Jiang X, Li X.
Genistein Alleviates Intestinal Oxidative
Stress by Activating the Nrf2 Signaling
Pathway in IPEC-J2 Cells. Veterinary Sci-
ences. 2024 Mar 29;11(4):154.
42. Lopus M. Nano-ayurvedic medicine and its
potential in cancer treatment. Journal of
Integrative Medicine. 2023 Mar 1;21(2):117-
9.
43. Mattiuzzi C, Lippi G. Current cancer epide-
miology. Journal of epidemiology and global
health. 2019 Dec;9(4):217-22.
44. Mitra SK, Prakash NS, Sundaram R.
Shatavarins (containing Shatavarin IV) with
anticancer activity from the roots of Aspara-
gus racemosus. Indian journal of pharma-
cology. 2012 Nov 1;44(6):732-6.
45. Mitra SK, Prakash NS, Sundaram R.
Shatavarins (containing Shatavarin IV) with
anticancer activity from the roots of Aspara-
gus racemosus. Indian journal of pharma-
cology. 2012 Nov 1;44(6):732-6.
46. Mrkus L, Batinić J, Bjeliš N, Jakas A.
Sythesis and biological evaluation of quer-
cetin and resveratrol peptidyl derivatives as
potential anticancer and antioxidant
agents. Amino acids. 2019 Feb 7;51:319-
29.
47. Mushtaq Z, Sadeer NB, Hussain M, Mah-
wish, Alsagaby SA, Imran M, Mumtaz T,
Umar M, Tauseef A, Al Abdulmonem W, Tu-
fail T. Therapeutical properties of apigenin:
a review on the experimental evidence and
basic mechanisms. International Journal of
Food Properties. 2023 Sep 22;26(1):1914-
39.
48. Navyashree R. Antioxidants in Plants. Ad-
vanced Botany. 2024:1.
49. Nisha K, Deshwal R. Antioxidants and their
protective action against DNA damage.
DNA. 2011;27(28):28-32.
50. Paiva SA, Russell RM. β-carotene and other
carotenoids as antioxidants. Journal of the
American college of nutrition. 1999 Oct
1;18(5):426-33.
51. Parvin S, Reza A, Das S, Miah MM, Karim
S. Potential Role and International Trade of
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in the World.
European Journal of Agriculture and Food
Sciences. 2023 Oct 20;5(5):89-99.
52. Patil S. NATURE'S CANCER FIGHTERS:
THIRTY-TWO POWERFUL PLANTS WITH
PROMISING ANTICANCER POTENTIAL.
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
2024 Apr 16.
53. Perera KC , WKBDS F,. Gastro-Intestinal
Effect of Shatavari Ghrita–A Literary Re-
view. European Journal of Biomedical.
2019;6(3):26-9.
54. Pisoschi AM, Pop A, Cimpeanu C, Predoi G.
Antioxidant capacity determination in
plants and plant-derived products: A re-
view. Oxidative medicine and cellular lon-
gevity. 2016 Oct;2016.
55. Rabe T, Van Staden J. Antibacterial activity
of South African plants used for medicinal
purposes. Journal of ethnopharmacology.
1997 Mar 1;56(1):81-7.
56. Rafiq N, Parrah JD, Gangoo SA. Asparagus
racemosus-A multi-use medicinal miracle
herb: A review. SKUAST Journal of Re-
search. 2023;25(2):173-87.
57. Raina R, Chauhan R. Important Medicinal
Plants of Western Himalaya and Their Culti-
vation. APPLIED BOTANY. 2017 Aug
14:130.
58. Ray A. Telomere Protection and Ayurvedic
Rasayana: The Holistic Science of Anti-
Aging. Yoga and Ayurveda Research. 2023
Oct 23;4(10):69-71.
59. Samy RP, Ignacimuthu S. Antibacterial ac-
tivity of some folklore medicinal plants used
by tribals in Western Ghats of India. Jour-
nal of Ethnopharmacology. 2000 Jan 1;69
(1):63-71.
60. Saran PL, Singh S, Solanki VH, Devi G,
Kansara RV, Manivel P. Identification of po-
tential accessions of Asparagus racemosus
for root yield and shatavarin IV content.
Heliyon. 2020 Dec 1;6(12).
61. Saxena P, Sarwat M. Ayurveda and Lifestyle
Diseases. InEthnic Knowledge and Perspec-
tives of Medicinal Plants 2024 (pp. 373-
388). Apple Academic Press..
62. Selvaraj K, Sivakumar G, Veeraraghavan
VP, Dandannavar VS, Veeraraghavan GR,
Rengasamy G. Asparagus Racemosus-A Re-
view. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy.
2019 Jan 1;10(1).
63. Sharma U, Kumar N, Singh B, Munshi RK,
Bhalerao S. Immunomodulatory active ste-
roidal saponins from Asparagus racemosus.
Medicinal Chemistry Research. 2013
Feb;22:573-9.
64. Singh AK, Srivastava A, Kumar V, Singh K.
Phytochemicals, medicinal and food appli-
cations of Shatavari (Asparagus race-
mosus): An updated review. The Natural
Products Journal. 2018 Mar 1;8(1):32-44.
65. Singla R, Jaitak V. SHATAVARI
(ASPARAGUS RACEMOSUS WILD): A RE-
VIEW ON ITS CULTIVATION, MORPHOLO-
GY, PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACO-
LOGICAL IMPORTANCE. International
Journal of Pharmacy & Life Sciences. 2014
Mar 1;5(3).
66. Srividya AR, Vishnuvarthan VJ. Physical,
chemical and biological properties of lutein:
A Review. World J. Pharm. Res. 2014 May
16;3(5):105-18.
67. Subhose V, Srinivas P, Narayana A. Basic
principles of pharmaceutical science in
Ayurvĕda. Bulletin of the Indian Institute of
History of Medicine (Hyderabad). 2005 Jul
1;35(2):83-92.
68. Tasneem S, Liu B, Li B, Choudhary MI,
Wang W. Molecular pharmacology of inflam-
mation: Medicinal plants as anti-
inflammatory agents. Pharmacological re-
search. 2019 Jan 1;139:126-40.
69. Thakur S, Kaurav H, Chaudhary G.
Shatavari (Asparagus Racemosus)-the best
female reproductive tonic. Int J Res Rev.
2021;8(5):73-84.
70. Thakur S, Kaurav H, Chaudhary G.
Shatavari (Asparagus Racemosus)-the best
female reproductive tonic. Int J Res Rev.
2021;8(5):73-84.
71. Tobi SE, Gilbert M, Paul N, McMillan TJ.
The green tea polyphenol, epigallocatechin‐
3‐gallate, protects against the oxidative cel-
lular and genotoxic damage of UVA radia-
tion. International journal of cancer. 2002
Dec 10;102(5):439-44.
72. Upreti S, Pandey SC, Bisht I, Samant M.
Evaluation of the target-specific therapeutic
potential of herbal compounds for the treat-
ment of cancer. Molecular Diversity. 2022
Jun 1:1-3
73. Vaidya JS. Principles of cancer treatment
by radiotherapy. Surgery (Oxford). 2024 Jan
16
74. Veale DJ, Furman KI, Oliver DW. South Af-
rican traditional herbal medicines used
during pregnancy and childbirth. Journal of
ethnopharmacology. 1992 Jun 1;36(3):185-
91.
75. Vikal A, Maurya R, Bhowmik S, Khare S,
Raikwar S, Patel P, Kurmi BD. Resveratrol:
A Comprehensive Review of its Multifaceted
Health Benefits, Mechanisms of Action, and
Potential Therapeutic Applications in
Chronic Disease. Pharmacological Research
-Natural Products. 2024 Apr 21:100047.
76. World Health Organization. (2024). Cancer.
Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-
room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer.
77. Yang L, Lin PC. Mechanisms that drive in-
flammatory tumor microenvironment, tu-
mor heterogeneity, and metastatic progres-
sion. InSeminars in cancer biology 2017
Dec 1 (Vol. 47, pp. 185-195). Academic
Press.
78. Yazbeck V, Alesi E, Myers J, Hackney MH,
Cuttino L, Gewirtz DA. An overview of
chemotoxicity and radiation toxicity in can-
cer therapy. Advances in Cancer Research.
2022 Jan 1;155:1-27.
79. Zhang YJ, Gan RY, Li S, Zhou Y, Li AN, Xu
DP, Li HB. Antioxidant phytochemicals for
the prevention and treatment of chronic
diseases. Molecules. 2015 Dec;20(12):21138
-56.