Ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological study of Ocimum americanum L.: A review

•Ocimum americanum L. is a medicinal plant used by various societies for treatment of both transmitted and non-transmitted diseases.•Its vernacular names increase awareness among societies, and expand its traditional usage.•Both essential oil and plant extracts are employed for treatment of ailments due to the presence of sufficient amounts of phytoconsituents.•Variations of major phytoconsituents depend on the originality of the plant, maturity, extraction techniques and other related factors.•According to the scientific findings, the pharmacological activities support traditional utilization of the plant. Ocimum americanum L., commonly known as Hoary basil, is a wild aromatic shrub traditionally used to treat different ailments. Its leaves, flowers and aerial parts have been widely studied to evaluate its medicinal potential such as lowering blood pressure, treatment of microbial infections, malaria, cold, liver and eye problems. This study aims to provide an in-depth review of ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of O. americanum, to evaluate its benefits, challenges and potential future prospects. All the information about O. americanum was collected from various platforms, including google scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, plants of the world online and Research4Life. The acceptance criteria of the collected information based on the PICOS model. The GRADE approach was used to analyze and evaluate the quality of the collected information. This study showed that O. americanum has tremendous therapeutic potential to be integrated into mainstream medical practice to manage various medical conditions. The inconsistence of the phytoconstituents among the plant parts resulted in a significant variation of pharmacological activities. Plant originality, genetic variability and extraction techniques are among the factors contributing to the variation of phytoconstituents that are responsible for pharmacological activities. This study revealed that O. americanum is a potential medicinal plant for mitigating various medical conditions. However, future study should continue to focus on the bioactive compounds and their mechanisms of action. Additionally, the utilization of the O. americanum for the development of drugs as well as quality evaluation in clinical settings are highly recommended. [Display omitted]