1282
12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2
Rubus L.
Sp. pl. 1: 492 (1753); Gen. pl. ed. 5: 864 (1754).
ROSACEAE
x = 7; Rubus moluccanus: 2n = 28
Major species Rubus moluccanus L., Rubus rosifolius J.E. Smith.
Blackberry, raspberry (En). Mûre, framboise (Fr).
Rubus comprises some hundreds of species, apart from the microspecies in the apogamous Rubus fruticosus L./Rubus caesius L. complex, and has an almost cosmopolitan distribution. In Malesia about 50 native species are found, New Guinea and the Philippines being richest in species, followed by Java and Sumatra. Within Malesia, New Guinea is the only centre of endemism with 12 endemic species; the other islands have very few endemic species or none at all.
The traditional medicinal use of South-East Asian Rubus is very similar to the traditional use of Rubus in Europe. Leaves and roots are used for their astringent and tonic properties in mild diarrhoea. In Malaysia, a decoction of the roots of Rubus moluccanus is drunk for dysentery and urinary disorders. The leaves are externally applied in fever. The leaves are included in a traditional steam bath for the first week after childbirth. In Indonesia, the roots are chewed with other ingredients for intestinal disorders. Fresh leaves chewed with roasted coconut are said to cure thrush. Chewed with betel nut (Areca catechu L.) they are considered antitussive and a remedy to avoid a miscarriage. The fruits of Rubus moluccanus and Rubus rosifolius are occasionally mentioned as a remedy for nightly micturition. In Papua New Guinea, the leaves of both species are chewed and spat onto sores, to promote healing. In the Philippines, a decoction of the roots of Rubus rosifolius is given as an expectorant, and a syrup of the fruit as a demulcent. Rubus alceifolius Poir. is used indiscriminately as Rubus moluccanus in traditional Thai and Malay medicine. In Sabah, the pounded inner stem of Rubus alceifolius or Rubus moluccanus (misidentified as Rubus glomeratus Blume) is applied as a paste to mouth ulcers. In Vietnam, the fruit of Rubus alceifolius is used in folk medicine as a stomachic. In Papua New Guinea, the fruits of Rubus glomeratus (synonym Rubus ledermannii Focke) cooked and eaten with fish, are considered a tonic. In Simbu Province (Papua New Guinea), the leaves with bark sap of Pipturus argenteus (J.G. Forster) Wedd. added are heated and eaten daily to relieve a bad cough. In Morobe Province, the extracted stem sap of Rubus neo-ebudicus Guillaumin (synonym Rubus brassii Merr. & Perry) is drunk as a tonic by elderly people. In Java (Indonesia), the ground leaves of Rubus fraxinifolius Poir. mixed with water are occasionally used in dysentery. In Papua (Indonesia), it is used to treat wounds and for internal sickness. In Papua New Guinea, the juice of heated leaves of possibly the former species (identified as Rubus muelleri F.M. Bailey, nom. illeg.) is used on cuts and scratches. Roots and leaves of Rubus parvifolius L. are used in folk medicine in East Asia and eastern Australia. The plant is credited with astringent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antipyretic, antilithic, antithrombotic and resolvent properties. In Sumatra (Indonesia), the shoots of Rubus alceifolius are eaten as a vegetable. The fruits of several species are locally collected as luxury food. Outside their natural range Rubus are often considered noxious weeds.
Rubus is only used on a local scale.
Rubus plants contain tannins, which, due to their astringent properties are responsible for their traditional use in cases of diarrhoea and throat troubles. As an example, dried leaves of Rubus fruticosus L. (blackberry) contain about 8% tannin of the hydrolysable type (gallotannins).
Aqueous extracts of Rubus parvifolius, from China, proved useful in shortening bleeding time and coagulation time in mice, shortening euglobulinlysis time in rabbits, and inhibited platelet thrombosis in rabbits in vivo. Rubus parvifolius extracts increased coronary flow in isolated rat heart, preventing rats from pituitrin-induced changes of electrocardiogram (ECG). Furthermore, Rubus parvifolius extracts increased the tolerance of mice to hypoxia. The toxicity of Rubus parvifolius is reported to be insignificant.
Shrubs, usually climbing, straggling or creeping, rarely erect; twigs and other parts nearly always with prickles. Leaves alternate, compound or simple; petiole present; stipules free. Inflorescence terminal, mostly paniculate, at the end of axillary leafy branches of determinate growth. Flowers 5-merous, mostly bisexual; sepals free, persistent; petals free, usually white; stamens many, ovaries many on a mostly elevated torus. Fruits cohering and falling as a collective fruit, either together with the dried torus (blackberry-like) or without and hollow (raspberry-like). Seed with a thin testa.
Pollination is by insects and dispersal is obviously endozoochorous.
Rubus alceifolius, Rubus glomeratus and Rubus moluccanus are closely resembling species that are often confused. Plants are often designated as the more common, and very variable, Rubus moluccanus. Uses mentioned for any of these species may well be mutually exchangeable. Rubus alceifolius differs in the shape of the closed flower buds and in the stipules which have very thin, filiform lobes. Rubus glomeratus differs in the leaf indumentum, which is never entirely closed and the leaf surface remains visible.
The majority of Malesian Rubus belongs to the mountain flora and occurs only above 1000—1500 m altitude. A dozen Rubus species are found at lower elevations, and only 3 species occur down to sea-level (Rubus fraxinifolius, Rubus moluccanus and Rubus rosifolius). Most species are light-loving and are restricted to more or less open places, either natural or anthropogenic.
Vegetative propagation of Rubus is by root suckers (stolons).
Rubus rosifolius is susceptible to strawberry mild yellow edge potexvirus (SMYEPV), which causes yellow leaf margins in e.g. strawberry.
Leaves and roots of Rubus are collected whenever the need arises. Fruits are collected when ripe.
Roots and leaves of Rubus are either used fresh or dried for future use.
All Rubus species treated here have a large area of distribution, either naturally or as a result of cultivation, and do not seem to be at risk of genetic erosion. Their preference for disturbed habitats tends to make them less vulnerable. However, molecular studies have revealed that in its natural range intra-island gene flow in Rubus moluccanus is high, but significant differentiation may occur over even short distances on individual islands. Preservation of only a limited number of populations would therefore be inadequate. Likewise the genetic basis of Rubus is very limited, given that it behaves as a weed outside its natural range.
Little is known about the phytochemistry and phyto-pharmacology of Rubus. The presence of (gallo-)tannins is well documented, as well as the application in cases of diarrhoea and throat-troubles of these compounds. More research is needed to fully evaluate other possibilities.
Bean, A.R., 1997. A revision of Rubus subg. Idaeobatus (Focke) Focke (Rosaceae) in Australia. Austrobaileya 4(4): 677—689.
Busemeyer, D.T., Pelikan, S., Kennedy, R.S. & Rogstad, S.H., 1997. Genetic diversity of Philippine Rubus moluccanus L. (Rosaceae) populations examined with VNTR DNA probes. Journal of Tropical Ecology 13(6): 867—884.
Holdsworth, D.K., 1993. Medicinal plants of the Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea. Part II. International Journal of Pharmacognosy 31: 19—22.
Kalkman C., 1991. Rubus L. In: Verheij, E.W.M. & Coronel, R.E. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 2. Edible fruits and nuts. Pudoc, Wageningen, the Netherlands. pp. 277—278.
Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. p. 346.
Zhu, Z., Zhang, H. & Yuan, M., 1990. Pharmacological study of Rubus parvifolius L. Chung Kuo Chung Yao Tsa Chih 15(7): 427—429, 447. (in Chinese)
J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg
Rubus moluccanus
Rubus rosifolius
van Valkenburg, J.L.C.H., 2001. Rubus L.. In: van Valkenburg, J.L.C.H. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea
The following species in this genus are important in this commodity group and are treated separatedly in this database:
Rubus moluccanus
Rubus rosifolius
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