Objective: Boldine is a plant-derived bioactive compound that has a beneficial impact on human health. Boldine is an aporphine alkaloid mainly obtained from the leaves and bark of the Chilean Boldo tree ( Peumus boldus , Family: Monimiaceae). There are plenty of preclinical evidence supports that boldine exerts its beneficial effects against various diseases. Lumiskin™, a patented and marketed formulation by Revitol Skincare for skin brightening, contains Dicetyl boldine, a boldine derivative. Content: All the available information on the Chilean boldo tree ( P. boldus Molina) species was actualized by systematically searching the scientific databases (PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus and others) and scientific literature. This article covers the recent advances in pharmacokinetic, toxicological, pharmacological/biological activities, and molecular mechanisms of the bioactive compound to understand health benefits of boldine better. Summary: Boldine exerts antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-diabetic, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-epileptic, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, anti-arthritis, anticancer and nootropic effects. Moreover, boldine exhibits its various pharmacological activities by altering antioxidant parameters (MDA, superoxide dismutase, glutathione), peroxynitrite, inflammatory markers apoptotic index, caspase-3, acetyl-cholinesterase, myeloperoxidase, TNF-α (Tumor necrosis factor-α), iNOS, Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX), ACE-1(Angiotensin-converting enzyme-1), dopamine D2 receptors and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Boldine has the potential to modulate a variety of biological networks. Outlook: Due to its versatile pharmacological effects reported in various experimental animals as well as in randomized clinical trials for the treatment of facial melasma and for treatment of urinary stone lithotripsy in children as a complementary phytotherapy; in the future, this compound might be developed as a novel drug for a different indication

BACKGROUND: AYUSH MANAS is a coded polyherbal formulation developed for mental retardation/cognitive deficit. An experimental study has been conducted to generate scientific evidence on its safety as an integral component of drug development. METHODS: Acute and 90-day repeated-dose oral toxicity studies for the AYUSH MANAS formulation were conducted with approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. In the acute toxicity study, the test drug was administered orally at 1530 mg/kg (10 times the intended clinical dose of AYUSH MANAS) to Swiss albino mice. For the 90-day repeated-dose oral toxicity study, three different doses of the test drug (106, 530, and 1060 mg/kg) were administered to rats. Assessment of clinical signs, behavioral changes, and physical appearance was made during the course of the study, followed by hematological, biochemical, and histopathological examination at the termination of the study. RESULTS: No abnormal behavioral activity or pre-terminal deaths were observed in mice exposed to a single dose of 1530 mg/kg. In rats receiving the test drug at three different doses for 90 days, there were no pre-terminal deaths. There were no significant changes in hematological and biochemical parameters. Furthermore, histopathological analysis of major organs revealed no major lesions or treatment-related changes. CONCLUSION: The test drug AYUSH MANAS was found to be safe upon single administration at a dose of 1530 mg/kg body weight during the acute toxicity study. Furthermore, the drug was found to be nontoxic at the doses (106, 530, and 1060 mg/kg) up to 90 days of consecutive administration in rats.