Abstract <p>The orthopaedic surgeries were greatly aided by bone grafting with the use of nanomaterials which provide new strategies for bone regeneration, despite the significant drawbacks of traditional treatments. Hydroxyapatite is one of the bioactive ceramics that has gained substantial research attention due to its biocompatibility, bioactivity and osteointegration ability for the manufacturing of nano bone grafts. The organized complex and porous structures of the human bone tissue is a nanocomposite which consists of both organic and inorganic matrix including hydroxyapatite naturally. Conventional hydroxyapatite was known to provide good adhesion and proliferation of host cells but very low mechanical strength. Hence biomaterial made of hydroxyapatite with various polymers and cross linking agents were used to enhance the mechanical strength of the material. Out of 293 articles obtained from the literature search, only 90 articles met the inclusion criteria about bone regeneration using nano hydroxyapatite materials. The present review addresses the potential capping agents with plant extracts for the synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanomaterials with multi-functional applications include drug delivery for targeting the desired therapeutic effect for bone regeneration with osteoprotective ability and tumour therapy.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>