Abstract
As an indigenous medicinal plant, Lippia javanica has long been utilized in traditional African medicine
for its therapeutic properties. Across various cultures in Southern Africa, L. javanica is used to treat
ailments such as fevers, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal disorders, and inflammatory conditions.
It is also believed to possess anticancer, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial properties. Despite its
widespread use and rich history in traditional medicine, the detailed chemical composition and
metabolomic complexity of this plant remain underexplored, leaving significant gaps in understanding
the bioactive compounds responsible for its therapeutic effects and their potential pharmacological
applications. Traditional approaches to natural product research, such as bioactivity-guided
fractionation, are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to rediscovery of known
compounds, limiting their ability to explore the full diversity of plant metabolites. Modern
methodologies, such as untargeted metabolomics integrated with advanced bioinformatics tools,
provide a more systematic and efficient approach to overcoming these challenges. By leveraging
technologies like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and computational modeling,
this study offers a holistic understanding of the plant’s metabolome, enabling the identification of key
biosynthetic pathways and the annotation of diverse metabolites. This research combines untargeted
metabolomics, cytotoxicity assays, and molecular docking studies to explore L. javanica's bioactive
potential, with a focus on its anticancer properties. By bridging traditional medicinal knowledge with
modern scientific validation, this comprehensive study highlights L. javanica as a valuable resource for
natural product discovery. It lays the foundation for future research into its pharmacological
applications, particularly in cancer therapy, and contributes to sustainable exploration of indigenous
plant resources.