Background: The liver is a vital organ responsible for metabolism and detoxification, yet it is highly susceptible to toxic injury and disease. Conventional hepatoprotective drugs are limited and often cause adverse effects. There is growing interest in natural hepatoprotective agents from medicinal plants. Ficus carica (fig), Boerhavia diffusa (punarnava) and Carica papaya (papaya) have long been used in traditional medicine for liver ailments and are reported to contain bioactive phytochemicals with liver-protective properties.
Aim: This review compiles and critically analyzes the phytochemicals present in F. carica, B. diffusa, and C. papaya and their hepatoprotective mechanisms and efficacy.
Methods: A comprehensive literature survey was performed, emphasizing phytochemical composition and hepatoprotective activity (in vitro and in vivo) of these plants.
Results: F. carica contains phenolics, flavonoids, coumarins (psoralen, bergapten), and triterpenes that exhibit antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects in toxin-induced liver injury models. B. diffusa is rich in rotenoid glycosides (boeravinones A–H), the alkaloid punarnavine, flavonoids (eupalitin), and sterols, which contribute to significant liver protection through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory pathways. C. papaya contains abundant flavonoids (e.g. quercetin, kaempferol), alkaloids (carpaine), vitamins, and other antioxidants that ameliorate hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation. All three plants showed hepatoprotective efficacy in animal studies by normalizing liver enzymes, reducing lipid peroxidation, and improving histological architecture of the liver.
Conclusion: F. carica, B. diffusa, and C. papaya harbor diverse phytochemicals with hepatoprotective potential, chiefly by antioxidative and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. They represent promising complementary remedies for liver injury. Further clinical studies and mechanistic investigations are warranted to validate their efficacy and safety in humans.
Keywords: N\A
How to cite this article: Barke SA, Kannur DM., Phytochemicals With Hepatoprotective Potential In Ficus Carica, Boerhavia Diffusa And Carica Papaya: A Review. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(2s): 651-663; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.651-663