Review of the Phytochemistry, Ethno-medicinal, and Pharmacological Properties of Ageratum conyzoides L. (Billygoat Weed)

Medicinal plants are natural resources, yielding valuable herbal products, which could be used in the treatment of various ailments. Natural products, such as plant extract, either as pure compounds or as standardized extracts provide unlimited opportunities for new drug discoveries because of their unmatched availability of chemical diversity. Ageratum conyzoides has been known since antiquity for its medicinal properties and effectiveness in the treatment of various ailments ranging from skin disease, fever, to relief colic, flatulence, dysentery, and diarrhea. A wide range of chemical compounds, belonging to the phytochemical classes namely; alkaloids, cumarins, flavonoids, chromenes, benzofuran, sterols, and terpenoids have been identified in this specie. Ageratum conyzoides extracts and their metabolites have been found to possess significant pharmacological properties. In this review, the phytochemistry and medicinal benefits of this plant was reported.