Thesiaceae

Thesiaceae is a small family of flowering plants within the order Santalales, often associated with hemiparasitic or specialized ecological strategies in tropical regions. Members of Thesiaceae produce secondary metabolites such as iridoids, phenolic compounds, and other oxygenated terpenoids that may be involved in host interaction and defense mechanisms. In biomedical research, the family is relatively underexplored but is of interest for its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Its parasitic or semi-parasitic lifestyle also provides a valuable model for studying metabolic dependency and evolutionary adaptation in plant–host systems.