The plants of genus Dipsacus, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, and Africa, have been used as medicinal agents to treat several diseases, including lyme disease, fibromyalgia, bone fracture, and abortion, and especially the Alzheimer’s disease and cancer (Zhao and Shi, 2011).
Dipsacus asper has been used in Chinese traditional folk medicines as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-complement agent, and as growth stimulants of osseous cells as well (Tian et al., 2007).
The dried root of Dipsacus asperoides C. Y. Cheng et al. T. M. Ai is used as a medicinal plant in oriental clinics for the treatment of bone diseases and functions by strengthening bone and healing bone fractures (Jung et al., 2012).

Pharmacological studies have demonstrated that, saponins isolated from the roots of Dipsacus asper possess anticomplementary, antinociceptive, osteoprotective, cardioprotective, cytotoxic and inhibition of Alzheimer’s disease activities, while phenolics possess neuroprotective and antioxidant effects (Ji et al., 2012).
The saponin, asperosaponin VI, isolated from Dipsacus asper, provided significant cardioprotective effects against acute myocardial ischemia injury (Li et al., 2010).
Dipsacus asper extract reduces the cognitive deficits and over expression of β-amyloid protein induced by aluminium exposure (Zhang et al., 2003) and exhibits antioxidant activity (Hung et al., 2006). 3,5-Di-O-caffeoylquinic acid might be a potential therapeutic agent for treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases implicated with oxidative stress (Kim et al., 2005). Root extract of Dipsacus asperoides has anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects (Jung et al., 2012).

1. Cephalaria
2. Pterocephalus
3. Scabiosa