Calycanthaceae family comprises of four genera including Chimonanthus, Sinocalycanthus, Calycanthus, and Idiospermum. The plants of Calycanthaceae are popular ornamental shrubs and used as foods and medicines, which are mainly distributed in China, North America, and Australia. The plants of Calycanthaceae are rich in volatile components, alkaloids, sesquiterpenes and coumarins. Dimeric piperidinoquinoline and dimeric pyrrolidinoindoline alkaloids, dimeric and/or trimeric coumarins are characteristic compositions in these plants. In order to provide timely reference for further investigation and development of Calycanthaceae plants, we made a systemic review on chemical constituents, i.e. alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, coumarins, and steroids, from Calycanthaceae plants, focusing on their chemical structures and pharmacological activities.
Keywords: Calycanthaceae family; chemical constituents; chemical structure; pharmacological activity; review.
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