Identity and pharmacognosy of Ruta graveolens Linn http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3733200/?report=...

Anc Sci Life. 2012 Jul-Sep; 32(1): 1619. PMCID: PMC3733200

doi: 10.4103/0257-7941.113792

Identity and pharmacognosy of Ruta graveolens Linn

R. Kannan and U. V. Babu
The Himalaya Drug Company, Bangalore 562 123, Karnataka, India
Address for correspondence: Dr. R Kannan, R and D Center, The Himalaya Drug Company, Bangalore - 562 123, Karnataka, India. E-mail:
dr.kannan@himalayahealthcare.com

Copyright : Ancient Science of Life

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract
Ruta graveolens L., is a odoriferous herb belonging to the family Rutaceae. It is the source of Rue or
Rue oil, called as Sadab or Satab in Hindi. It is distributed throughout the world and cultivated as a
medicinal and ornamental herb. The ancient Greeks and Romans, held the plant in high esteem. It is
used in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and Unani. Phytochemical constituents and pharmacological
properties were studied in depth. In 14 species of genus Ruta, R. graveolens and R. chalepensis are
available in India and also cultivated in gardens. Taxonomical characters to identify the Indian plants
are very clear with fringed and or non-fringed petals. However, references to it are confused in the
traditional literature. Due to sharing of regional language name, its identity is confused with
Euphorbia dracunculoides. Morphological and anatomical characters were described.
Pharmacognostic studies with microscopic characters were also published. Upon reviewing the
anatomical characters and pharmacognostic characters one finds that it is highly confused and
conflicting. The characters described are opposite of each other and authenticity of the market sample
of R. graveolens cannot be guaranteed and able to be differentiated from R. chalepensis. Present work
is to describe the pharmacognostic characters of R. graveolens to differentiate it from R. chalepensis.
It is concluded that morphologically, R. graveolens can be identified with its non-fringed petals and
blunted apices of fruit lobes. Whereas, in R. chalepensis petals are fringed or ciliated and apices of the
fruit lobes are sharp and projected. Microscopically, in stem of R. graveolens pericyclic fibers have
wide lumen. Whereas, in R. chalepensis, it is narrow. The published pharmacognosy reports do not
pertain to authentic plant or some of the characteristic features like glandular trichomes are not
observed in our samples.

KEY WORDS: Pharmacognosy, ruta chalepensis, ruta graveolens, rutaceae

INTRODUCTION
Ruta graveolens L., is a strongly odoriferous evergreen herbs or a small shrub, belonging to the family
Rutaceae. It is the source of Rue or Rue oil[1] called as Sadab or Satab in Hindi. It is native to
Mediterranean region[2] and distributed throughout the world. As currently described in literature,
the genus Ruta has 14 accepted species, and among them R. graveolens L. and R. chalepensis L. are
reported in Indian floras.[3] Ruta graveolens is cultivated as a medicinal and ornamental herb in
many countries including India.[4,5,6,7]

The ancient Greeks and Romans, held the plant in high esteem.[8] It is a well known remedy for the
treatment of various types of disorders as reported in various classical texts of Ayurveda,
Homoeopathy and Unani.[9,10,11] More than 120 natural compounds mainly including acridone

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Identity and pharmacognosy of Ruta graveolens Linn http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3733200/?report=...

alkaloids, coumarins, essential oils, flavonoides, and fluoroquinolones have been found in the roots
and aerial parts.[12] Various traditional uses and pharmacological properties are reviewed.[13]

Taxonomic characters to identify the Indian plants are very clear with fringed and or non-fringed
petals.[14] However, it was mentioned that morphological data of the genus Ruta have not been
successful in elucidating the taxonomic boundaries, and one of the reason was the conflicting and
overlapping characters.[15] Three species, R. graveolens, R. chalepensis, and R. montana might have
been confused in the ancient medical texts.[16] In India two species of Ruta, R. graveolens and R.
chalepensis, got confused[17,18] with one another. Apart from the confusion between these two
species, due to sharing of vernacular name Satab R. graveolens, is misidentified or used as a
substitute of Euphorbia dracunculoides.[19]

Morphological characters[2,6,7,14,20,21,22,23] and dichotomous key to differentiate both the species,

are also provided.[14] It is mentioned that R. graveolens are a hairless herb[20] or as glabrous
herb[2,6,21] or there was no mention about the presence of glandular hairs/trichomes on the plant.
[7,21] Morphologically R. chalepensis flowers can be differentiated by its fringe or ciliate petals,
whereas R. graveolens has smooth or undulate but not fringed petals.

While describing the anatomical characters of the family, Rutaceae, specific characters pertain to R.
graveolens were also described.[1] There is no mention about the presence of hairs in stem or in leaf.
The pericycle in stem usually contains small isolated strands or bundles of sclerenchyma, vessels are
arranged in less pronounced radial rows, pith cells are homogenous and clustered crystals of calcium
are abundant in the cortex and/or pith. Petiole has an arc of separate bundles, a characteristic feature
of R. graveolens not observed in any other species of the family. Stomata are present on both surfaces
and hypoderm are present.

Pharmacognostic characters[19] along with microscopic descriptions[24,25] are described in few

publications. In one of the publication,[25] it is mentioned that stem has dictyostele, with a ring of
sclerenchyma and acicular calcium oxalates. In leaf, epidermal cells of the adaxial surface are larger in
size and it lacks stomata. Trichomes are absent. Hypodermis is represented as one or few layers of
collenchyma in the midrib. Vascular bundle is solitary and arc shaped. No report on the presence of
pith in roots.

Another publication[24] reports roots having distinct hypodermis and pith. In stem, hypodermis is
made of collenchyma, pericycle represented by non-lignified fibers and calcium oxalates are
crystalline. It also has patches of lignified stone cells in cortex. In leaves, glandular trichomes and
sunken stomata are present on both surfaces.

Upon reviewing the anatomical characters[1] and pharmacognostic characters[24,25] it is highly

confused and conflicted. The characters described are opposite of each other. With the published
characteristics, it is not possible to conclude the authenticity of the market sample of R. graveolens
and to differentiate it from R. chalepensis. Present work is to narrate the pharmacognostic
characteristic features of R. graveolens and to differentiate it with R. chalepensis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Samples of R. graveolens were purchased from different suppliers throughout the country. It was also
imported from few reliable sources outside India for a comparative study. It was also collected from
various gardens and medicinal plant nurseries. Collected plants were identified with morphological
descriptions and taxonomic keys provided in various texts.[2,5,14,21,22,23] Voucher specimens were
stored in in-house raw material archive (Voucher specimen nos: NPD/807/12 to NPD/89/12.
Pharmacognostic characteristics including organoleptic, macroscopic, microscopic and powder
characters were studied as described in quality control methods[26,27,28] of crude herbal drugs.
Crude herbs purchased from various suppliers were also subjected to the same testing to for its
authenticity.

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RESULTS

Morphological characters

Ruta graveolens L., is a perennial, scented and glabrous herb or a sub-shrub. Stem is slender,
smooth, pale glaucous green and reaches up to a meter in height. Leaves are alternate, gland-dotted,
glaucous, compound, 2-3 pinnate. Leaf-lets are linear-oval or oblong. Inflorescence is terminal
corymbose, irregularly dichotomous cymes. Flowers are regular bisexual, terminal ones are
pentamerous and others are tetramerous. Petals are distinct, widely spreading, greenish yellow, wide
and hooded at top, abruptly connected to narrow claw below, margin wavy and sometimes toothed [
Figure 1a]. Fruits are dry, hard, roundish, 4-5 blunted lobed at top [Figure 1b]. Ruta chalepensis L. is
observed more or less similar in its morphological characters. The strong fetid smell, ciliate or fringed
petals [Figure 1c] and sharp fruit lobe tops [Figure 1d] differentiate this plant from Ruta Graveolens
L.

Macroscopic characters of the crude drugs

Ruta graveolens Market sample consists of chopped pieces or the coarsely powdered aerial parts. They
are aromatic and pleasant. The bulk sample is mild to grayish green in color. Usually stem pieces and
leaves are the major portion of the bulk sample. It also consists of flowers and fruits in notable
quantity but not in all batches. Stem pieces are up to 15 cm long and 5 mm in thickness. They are mild
green outer and white inside, longitudinally shrunken or flattened, hollow or with white translucent
pith, smooth surface, sharp in cut ends, woody and fracture is fibrous. Leaves are slightly fragile and
most of them are nearly powdery in the bulk sample. They are green to mild green to grayish green in
color, thin, papery, with minute dots of dark green colored glands everywhere. Leaflets detach or get
fragmented while handling. Flowers are dull and dark yellow. Petals are clearly undulate [Figure 1a].
Fruits are 4 or 5 lobed and have blunted tips [Figure 1b].

Ruta chalepensis Market sample consists of chopped pieces or the coarsely powdered aerial parts. They
are strongly aromatic and fetid. The bulk sample is green to dark green in color. Along with stem and
leaves, inflorescence, flowers and fruits are also present, almost in all the supplies. Stem pieces are up
to 1 cm in thickness. Pith is mostly hollow in thicker pieces. Leaves are green to dark green and not
highly fragile. Petals are fringed or ciliated [Figure 1c]. Top of the fruits are sharply pointed [Figure 1d
].

Microscopic characters

Stem [Figure 1e] Following description applies to both the species unless otherwise stated. Stem TS is
nearly pentagonal outline with blunted corners. It shows outer epidermis followed by hypodermis,
cortex, vascular zone and central pith. Epidermis and hypodermis are single layered. Cortex is
differentiated in to outer few layers of chlorenchyma and inner parenchyma. Chlorenchyma is loosely
arranged as aerenchyma with lot of air spaces. Parenchyma is normal with intercellular spaces.
Pericycle is made of patches of lignified fibers. Lumen of fibers is wide and clearly visible in R.
graveolens, whereas in R. chalepensis it is narrow and represented as a dot. Phloem and xylem shows
usual elements. Pith is large, parenchymatous and undifferentiated. Minute starch grains are
observed in parenchyma cells of cortex, especially more in chlorenchyma region than other cells. Pith
cells do not show any starch grains. Calcium oxalates are observed in parenchyma cells of cortex and
pith. In R. graveolens, it is scarcely found, whereas in R. chalepensis, it is abundant and observed
plenty in each and every field observed.

Leaf Petiole [Figure 1f] shows 3-5 vascular bundles in an arc. Above the arc numerous smaller sized
bundles are present which may be the leaf traces. Midrib and lamina [Figure 1g] showed a typical
dicot structure with single layered epidermis, double layered palisade cells and loosely arranged
spongy cells. Rosette type of calcium oxalates are abundant, especially located in-between the
palisade and spongy layers in R. graveolens whereas it is scare or nil in R. chalepensis.

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DISCUSSION
Though the taxonomic key, based on the flower morphology, to identify the species of Ruta, it is
reported that they got confused with each other. In few of the herbal gardens, the collected the
samples that too were spurious, however, grown as authentic. This may happen due to lack of
taxonomists in today's scenario. Upon observing many of the commercial samples from Indian
suppliers, it is found that R. chalepensis is very common and they are sold as R. graveolens hence the
former is the adulterant. However, few of them supplied the authentic plant. The samples from
suppliers abroad were authentic. Hence, it is concluded that the confusion between these two species
exists in India and not in international trade.

After comparing the macroscopic and microscopic characters with the characters described in the
published pharmacognosy reports, it is concluded that the authors[23] might have wrongly identified
R. chalepensis as R. graveolens. Hence the descriptions provided in their article pertain to R.
chalepensis and not to R. graveolens. In another pharmacognosy report,[22] the plant was identified
by an eminent taxonomist and mentioned that glandular trichomes are the characteristic features of
the authentic plant. We conclude that, while working, the samples may get mixed up with some other
sample, which have glandular trichomes and the authors wrongly thought that R. graveolens has
glandular trichomes. Glandular trichomes were not observed in our analysis and also it is not reported
elsewhere. Instead it is reported as glabrous herbs. Also the authors mentioned that pericyclic fibers
are non-lignified and continuous. In our observation, sclerenchymatous pericyclic fibers are arranged
in patches as reported earlier.[1] Authors have wrongly identified secondary phloem layers as
pericyclic fibers. This confusion may be due to the fact that the authors were pharmacists with limited
knowledge on botanical characters.

Table 1, provides the distinct characteristic features to differentiate R. graveolens and R. chalepensis.
Also, it is concluded that it is very difficult to identify them, if they got mixed up in bulk sample or in
powdered form. Further, DNA fingerprinting is necessary to fulfill the identity of the species in
powdered from.

Footnotes
Source of Support: Nil.

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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17. Gupta HC. On controversy of the Homoeopathic drug Ruta graveolens Linn, vis-a-vis Ruta
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18. Rao KC. Geneva: WHO; 1980. [Last accessed on 2013 Jan 01]. Database of medicinal plants.
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19. Nazish I, Kaskoos RA, Mir SR, Amin S, Ali M. Preliminary pharmacognostical standardization of
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Figures and Tables

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Figure 1

(a) Flower of Ruta graveolens (b) Fruit of Ruta graveolens (c) Flower of Ruta chalepensis (d) Fruit of Ruta
chalepensis (e) TS of stem (a portion enlarged) Ruta graveolens (f) TS of petiole of Ruta graveolens (g) TS of leaf of
Ruta graveolens

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Table 1

Distinct characteristic features of R. graveolens and R. chalepensis

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