Chrysanthemum is a dicotyledonous genus belonging to the family Asteraceae. These herbaceous annual or perennial plants originated in East Asia and are of great ornamental, medicinal, environmental and industrial values. Chrysanthemum is amongst the most valuable floricultural crops in the world, and is extremely popular for its wide range of flower color and structure. The Chrysanthemum species have long been praised in traditional Chinese medicine history, and continue to be used as valuable drugs, food additives or herbal teas. Various phytochemical compounds, including flavonoids, terpenoids, polysaccharides and unsaturated fatty acids have been identified in the genus Chrysanthemum. This genus has also displayed multiple biological features including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-allergic, anti-obesity, immune regulation, hepatoprotective and nephroprotective activities. In the present review, we aim to extensively investigate the therapeutic potential, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the genus Chrysanthemum with a particular focus on the introduction of the new isolated compounds through summarizing scientific evidence released in a period of ten years (2010–2020). The taxonomic characteristics, distribution, horticultural and traditional uses of this genus are also presented. Moreover, research gaps in pharmacological and phytochemical studies, as well as future opportunities for medicinal exploitation of the genus Chrysanthemum have been discussed.

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