The phytomedicine trends of Acanthus ilicifolius a bibliometric study

Abstract

Acanthus ilicifolius is an emergent aquatic plant with potential in environmental phytotechnology. The concept of phytotechnology focuses on the role of plants as a natural technology to solve environmental problems. The plant is an herb used in traditional medicine to cure illnesses ranging from skin problems to snake bites. It contains various phytochemicals, including alkaloids and glucosides, such as lignan and phenylethanoid. Therefore, this study aims to map Achantus ilicifolius extract using the bibliometric method. A bibliometric investigation was adopted through metadata planning with the keywords “Acanthus ilicifolius AND extract” from Scopus Database (1997-2021). Metadata is stored in CSV and BibTex types. Furthermore, CSV format of Scopus metadata for analysis using the counting method on VOS viewer and R-Package with a maximum number of 25 documents. Mapping results showed that the number of publications related to the Acanthus ilicifolius extract experienced a fluctuating trend, most occurring in 2014 and 2021. Most articles relating to Acanthus ilicifolius extract were published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. The three most prolific studies were conducted by Ramanathan T, while Babu BH (2001) is the most cited. Studies on Acanthus ilicifolius extract with a fairly high density included Aedes aegypti, phytochemicals, antimicrobial, and antibacterial activity. Meanwhile, the rarely investigated themes include immunity, target proteins, EDTA, anthelmintic, and INOS inhibitory.