A systematic review of potential candidates of herbal medicine in treatment of chronic kidney disease

•A large number of medicinal plants have shown promising beneficial effects against several diseases including cancer, but only a handful of studies are available on CKD.•Several studies explained the possible mechanisms of herbal medications in CKD for therapeutic use; however, the focussed molecular studies for identification of active components of medicinal herbs with their mechanism of action and safety standards are still awaited.•Demand for well-designed clinical trials and rigorous pharmacological studies as well as surge for combined use of herbal medicine and western medicine for the treatment of CKD has been noticed.•The nephrotoxicity issues of medicinal plants should not be ignored.