Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) is a flowering plant native to southern and southeastern Asia. Up to date, 106 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from R. tomentosa. Among these compounds, triterpenoids, flavonoids, phenols and meroterpenoids are the major constituents. Investigations of pharmacological activities of R. tomentosa revealed that this edible medicinal herb exhibits a wide range of therapeutic potential including antibacterial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities both in vivo and in vitro. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of R. tomentosa studies until 2019. This article also intends to review advances in the botanical, phytochemical, pharmacological studies and industrial applications of R. tomentosa, which will provide a useful bibliography for further investigations and applications of R. tomentosa in medicines and foods.
Keywords: Antibacterial; Antioxidant; Edible medicinal herb; Meroterpenoids; Review; Rhodomyrtus tomentosa.
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