Research Progress in Medicinal Plant of Ficus microcarpa

Ficus microcarpa, a kind of tree belonging to Ficus of Moraceae Family, is one of the traditional Chinese medicinal materials in China. With the functions of relieving cough and asthma, anti-inflammation and bacteriostasis, it is often used to treat respiratory diseases in Lingnan area, and is one of the main raw materials of Chinese patent medicine for relieving cough. F. microcarpa is evergreen all the year round and has a beautiful tree shape. It is also the preferred street tree for urban greening in south China. However, there are fewer researches on F. microcarpa at home and abroad, mainly focusing on the characteristics of greening plants, with weak researches on medicinal plants. There are shortages in the evaluation and selection of germplasm resources, deep processing technology and efficient utilization of resources of F. microcarpa. The researches on the types and mechanism of the effective components of F. microcarpa have not been conducted deeply, lacking of quality standard for the relationship between the quantity and the effect of dry extract in production, which seriously restricts the development and application of the medicinal value. With the greater importance attached to the development and utilization of F. microcarpa, it shows enormous application prospect and economic benefits. The research and utilization of F. microcarpa in pharmacognosy, chemical composition, quality process, pharmacological activity and clinical application are reviewed in order to provide theoretical basis for better comprehensive utilization.