Medicinal and biological potential of Thuja occidentalis: A comprehensive review

Abstract

There is considerable evidence from a wide range of sources, including written texts, preserved monuments, and natural plant medicines, that demonstrate the long history of humankind's search for medicinal substances in the natural world. The purpose of this article was to compare the performance of medicinal plant Thuja (T.) occidentalis in a variety of disease-relieving conditions. The current review draws on the work of nearly two hundred original research papers indexed in Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and the NCBI Library. The authors gatherd all the accessible data on the therapeutic effects of T. occidentalis. Although there are no published randomized controlled trials of T. occidentalis alone so far, multiple clinical investigations have validated the therapeutic efficacy of a combination herbal medication including the extract of T. occidentalis and additional immune stimulants. T. occidentalis is a plant with great potential as it is widely used in both traditional homoeopathy and modern, evidence-based phytotherapy. In vitro and in vivo models have shown its immunopharmacological potential, including its immunostimulatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral activities. More researches into these plants might be done to find out if any of them have the potential to be implemented as a novel drug to treat a wide range of conditions.