Abstract Pistacia lentiscus , from the Anacardiaceae family, is native to the Mediterranean region and best known for its aromatic resin, Chios mastic gum (CMG), which is exclusively produced on Chios Island, Greece. While the gum is the tree’s primary commercial product, various extracts from different P. lentiscus organs also hold potential applications due to their rich chemical profiles. This review assesses strategies to optimize the utilization of P. lentiscus products, not only the oleogum, in food and healthcare products. First, we review the phytochemical composition and environmental factors affecting this composition, highlighting conditions that maximize yield for different uses and applications. Additionally, various extraction techniques are reviewed, including solvent, ultrasonic-assisted, microwave-assisted, and supercritical fluid extraction methods, to identify the most effective methods. Authentication and quality control aspects, particularly for CMG, are compared, besides highlighting recent advances in novel delivery systems, i.e., liposomes, that are used to enhance the bioavailability of CMG key phytoconstituents. Graphical abstract

Abstract Medicinal plants are the most important resources for obtaining and developing new drugs and have recently attracted more pharmacological and industrial interest. Anthracene derivatives are one of the important phenolic compounds that naturally occur in plants. They exhibit bioactivities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, immune-suppressive, antioxidant, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and laxative effects. Anthraquinones and anthraquinones dimers are considered important chemotaxonomic markers for plants in the family Asphodelaceae. Many anthracenes and anthracene derivatives from Asphodelaceae taxa were known for their biological activity demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo biological assays. In this study, research published between 1963 and 2025 on anthracenes from Asphodelaceae taxa and their biological activities was analyzed by searching scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, and other web sources. As a result of these analyses, preanthraquinones (1–18) , anthrones (19–43) , anthraquinones (44–91) , phenylanthraquinones (92–119) , and anthraquinone dimers (120–162) and their biological activities are summarized, providing an overview of naturally bioactive anthracenes from Asphodelaceae that could serve as potential leads for new drug discovery.

Cistanche is a Chinese medicinal material with a long history. Cistanche is traditionally used as a tonic ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine theory. It is known as “Desert Ginseng”, which has been widely used in long-term clinical practice with good effect and high safety, and has been approved as edible herbal medicine in China. The powerful biological activity of Cistanche is derived from its many active ingredients, and the content of the active ingredients is affected by various factors. This paper studies the biosynthetic process of the main chemical components of Cistanche, and effects of plant substrate, growing environment, harvesting and concoction methods on the main active ingredients in Cistanche and the factors affecting the content of the active ingredients were presented, and aims to provide theoretical support for subsequent research and development on the medicinal uses of Cistanche.