A comprehensive and systematic review on botany, traditional applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and resource protection of genus Aster L.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Plants of the genus Aster L. are perennial herbs widely used in traditional medicine for cough, phlegm, and lung diseases. Despite its wide distribution and long medicinal history, no comprehensive review has integrated its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and resource protection. AIM OF THE STUDY: This review systematically summarizes the botanical characteristics, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and resource status of genus Aster plants, and identifies research trends via bibliometric analysis to support rational utilization and conservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With 'Aster L.' as the core keyword, combined with 'traditional curative effect', 'pharmacological action', 'chemical composition', 'medicinal resources' and other qualifiers, electronic databases such as Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), PubMed, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were systematically searched to collect relevant literature of genus Aster. The included literatures were systematically collated and analyzed, the development status of genus Aster medicinal materials was introduced, the challenges were summarized, and the research hotspots and evolution trends in this field were investigated based on bibliometric methods. In addition, online resources such as 'Flora of China' and 'World Plant Online' were also used for species distribution and scientific name verification. The phytochemicals were visualized using Chem Draw 14.0 software. RESULTS: This review covers 44 Aster species worldwide, from which 459 compounds have been isolated and identified., including terpenoids and their saponins, peptides, coumarins, flavonoids, anthraquinones, sterols, polysaccharides, etc. Among them, terpenoids and their saponins are considered to be the main characteristic components of the genus and account for the highest proportion. The crude extracts or isolated monomer components extracted from different genus Aster plants show a wide range of biological activities, such as antibacterial, anti-tumor, antitussive, expectorant, antiasthmatic, antiviral and antioxidant effects. These pharmacological activities have been verified by in vivo or in vitro studies. These extracts showed no significant toxicity. However, clinical studies on the therapeutic application of genus Aster plants are still limited. CONCLUSIONS: This work presents the first comprehensive systematic review of globally distributed genus Aster integrating botany, phytochemistry, folk medicinal records, pharmacology and germplasm conservation. Terpenoid saponins are highlighted as core bioactive substances responsible for antitussive, anti-tumor and antioxidant effects, which bridge modern pharmacological evidence and traditional therapeutic applications. Critical gaps remain: most Aster species lack in-depth research, and supportive clinical data are insufficient; over-harvesting also leads to wild resource degradation. Further resource surveys, conservation strategies and translational studies are essential for sustainable utilization of Aster medicinal materials.