Bioactive Compounds and Biological Activities of Zephyranthes Species

The genus Zephyranthes belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. It is also referred to as Rain Lily, Zephyr Lily, and Rain Flower, as it blooms after the rainy season. Zephyranthes is a perennial bulbous herbaceous genus morphologically similar to grass. It grows up to a height of 15 to 30 cm. The Amaryllidaceae family is well known for its alkaloids, flavones, and ornamental value. Different plant parts of Zephyranthes including leaves, bulbs, or whole plants are utilized as traditional medicines to treat various diseases such as diabetes mellitus, infantile convulsion epilepsy, tetanus, etc. The genus consists of several phytochemicals such as zephycandidines, zephyranthin A-C, galanthamine, plicamine, vittatine, pancratistatin, secoplicamine, oxomaritidine, haemanthamine, lycorine, chlidanthine, galwesine, epimaritidine, 3-epimacronine, N-methylcrinasiadine, trisphaeridine, nigragillin, and 5,6-dihydrobicolor. Few reports are also showing the presence of flavones including 7,4-dihydroxy-3-methoxyflavan, 7, methoxy-4-hydroxy-2-hydroxy-4-flavan, and all these exhibit numbers of biological properties such as inhibition of AChE, analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, anticancer, anti-Alzheimer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and cytotoxic. The present chapter emphasizes updated information about morphology, traditional uses, and bioactive potential of genus Zephyranthes for treating a variety of ailments and structures of the chemical substances reported.