ABSTRACT
Aleppo Avens, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been commonly used for the treatment of headache and dizziness, infantile convulsion, hypertension, lumbar and leg pain, irregular menstruation, and so on. However, the underlying mechanisms of the functions remain unclear. Up to the present, terpenoids (monoterpene, sesquiterpene and three terpenoids), tannins and phenylpropyl esters were found as the main chemical composition in Aleppo Avens. Accumulating studies showed that Aleppo Avens possess the pharmacological profile of anticoagulant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-ischemia. The present paper reviewed the researches of active ingredients and pharmacological effects of Aleppo Avens in recent 40 years, and provided the pharmacological basis for the clinical application and further rational development of Aleppo Avens.