Pharmaceutical and biological properties of Stachys species: A review

Abstract The genus Stachys includes about 300 cosmopolitan species, making it one of the largest genera of the Lamiaceae family. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of Stachys species in the flora of Serbia among which some species are endemic to the Balkan Peninsula. This review comprises morphological, phytochemical, medicinal and food application of 17 taxa: S. аlopecuros, S. аlpina, S. аnisochila, S. аnnua, S. аtherocalyx, S. cretica subsp. cassia, S. germanica, S. leucoglossa, S. milanii, S. officinalis, S. palustris, S. plumose, S. recta, S. tymphaea, S. scardica, S. serbica, and S. sylvatica. The species of the genus Stachys are rich sources of biologically active substances and well known for their worldwide application. For most of the Stachys species, it has been shown that their extracts possess biological activities such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer. The main goals of this review include the morphological description of species, representation of the major secondary metabolites, and presentation of traditional knowledge in food preparation.