Sappan wood (Caesalpinia sappan) is a tropical hardwood tree found in Southeast Asia. Sappan wood contains a water-soluble compound, which imparts a red color named brazilin. Sappan wood is utilized to produce dye for fabric and coloring agents for food and beverages, such as wine and meat. As a valuable medicinal plant, the tree is also known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. It has been observed that sappan wood contains various bioactive compounds, including brazilin, brazilein, sappan chalcone, and protosappanin A. It has also been discovered that these substances have various health advantages; they lower inflammation, enhance blood circulation, and are anti-oxidative in nature. Sappan wood has been used as a medicine to address a range of illnesses, such as gastrointestinal problems, respiratory infections, and skin conditions. Studies have also suggested that sappan wood may have anticarcinogenic potential as it possesses cytotoxic activity against cancer cells. Based on this, the present review emphasized the different medicinal properties, the role of phytochemicals, their health benefits, and several food and nonfood applications of sappan wood. Overall, sappan wood has demonstrated promising medicinal properties and is an important resource in traditional medicine. The present review has explored the potential role of sappan wood as an essential source of bioactive compounds for drug development.

Caesalpinia ferrea C. Mart., popularly known as \"Jucá\" or \"Pau-ferro\", belongs to the Fabaceae family, and is classified as a native and endemic species in Brazil. Numerous studies that portray its ethnobotany, chemical composition, and biological activities exist in the literature. The present study aimed to systematically review publications addressing the botanical aspects, uses in popular medicine, phytochemical composition, and bioactivities of C. ferrea. The searches focused on publications from 2015 to March 2020 using the Scopus, Periódicos Capes, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect databases. The leaves, fruits, seeds, and bark from C. ferrea are used in popular medicine to treat disorders affecting several systems, including the circulatory, immune, cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, and conjunctive systems. The most commonly found chemical classes in phytochemical studies are flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, tannins, saponins, steroids, and other phenolic compounds. The biological properties of the extracts and isolated compounds of C. ferrea most cited in the literature were antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and healing potential. However, further studies are still needed to clarify a link between its traditional uses, the active compounds, and the reported pharmacological activities, as well as detailed research to determine the toxicological profile of C. ferrea.

Natural products, especially diterpenoids, are enriched with numerous compounds with a broad spectrum of therapeutic indications, suggesting that functional moieties serve as a core pharmacophore. Cassane diterpenoids (CAs), as the main and characteristic constituents of medical plants in the Caesalpinia genus, have been widely studied due to their bioactivities, and >450 compounds have been reported since the 1960s, including 283 compounds that have been reported in the past decade. There are five main types of structures for these compounds: tricyclic cassane diterpenoids with a fused furan ring (I) or butanolide lactone (II), tricyclic cassane diterpenoids (III), norcassane diterpenoids (IV), and other types (V). CAs derivatives have a wide range of biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antitumour, antiviral, antimicrobial, antinociceptive, and antioxidant effects. This review highlights the role of the biosynthetic pathway, including those with abnormal skeletons, as well as advances in structure, pharmacological activities and primarily mechanisms of CAs obtained from the Caesalpinia genus. The findings herein provide new insights into the development of this kind of natural diterpenoids.

The natural Cassane and norcassane diterpenes are biosynthetic rearrangement products of Pimarane precursor in the biosynthetic pathway of diterpenes. Their distribution is highly restricted to various genera of Fabaceae family (especially to Caesalpinia genus). A comprehensive account of the structural diversity (322 structures, 114 references) is given in this review along with biological activities of cassane and norcassane diterpenes up to September 2011.

New cassane diterpene-acids, neocaesalpins H and I, were isolated from the leaves of Caesalpinia crista (Fabaceae), and their structures were deduced on the basis of the spectroscopic and chemical basis. These compounds were characterized as having an alpha,beta-butenolide hemiacetal ring that is rare in nature. The lacking of 5-hydroxy group also distinguished neocaesalpins H and I from cassane diterpenes (caesalpins) occurring in other Caesalpinia species from the phytochemical viewpoint. The nomenclature of three Caesalpinia species was also reviewed, and it was found that some species belonging to the genus Caesalpinia are improperly named and should be changed to valid names.