Cyperus esculentus L. (Cyperaceae): Agronomic aspects, food applications, ethnomedicinal uses, biological activities, phytochemistry and toxicity

Cyperus esculentus L. (Cyperaceae) is considered a weed that negatively affects economically important crops. Phytochemical studies of C. esculentus indicate that this plant can be an important source of molecules with pharmacological and nutraceutical potential. Thus, the present study aimed to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature on the agronomic aspects, food applications, ethnomedical uses, biological activities, phytochemistry, and toxicity of C. esculentus. The scientific articles were retrieved from the Google Scholar, PubMed®, ScienceDirect® and SciELO databases. Only articles published between 1973 and 2022 were selected. According to the literature analyzed, C. esculentus negatively interferes with the yield of crops such as Zea mays L. and Oryza sativa L. The food potential of C. esculentus was evidenced in several studies, in which ingredients based on this plant were applied in foods of animal and vegetable origin. Regarding ethnomedicinal uses, C. esculentus is used in African, Asian and South American countries. The antioxidant (27%) and antimicrobial (13%) activities were well reported in the literature. A total of 61 chemical compounds belonging to the classes of phenolics and flavonoids (34%), fatty acids (33%), terpenes (31%) and alkaloid (2%) were included in this review. Cyperus esculentus extracts showed no toxicity in in vitro and in vivo assays, indicating that the products obtained from this plant are biologically safe. As it is a plant with food and medicinal uses, the performance of clinical trials of products obtained from C. esculentus is of great importance for commercialization by the food and pharmaceutical industries.