Ruta graveolens: from Traditional System of Medicine to Modern Pharmacology: an Overview

The family of Rutaceae contains extremely wide variety of aromatic plants, mainly in tropical regions. Among them the rich is the genus Ruta. It is now cultivated in many parts of the world. This plant is considered indigenous in South Europe and North Africa and it grows on waste stony ground. Rue (Ruta graveolens) has been used for centuries as a medical preparation and has a variety of roles, probably because of its varied chemical composition. This plant is commonly cultivated in India and is commonly called as sudab or sadab. In traditional system of medicine it is used as stimulant, emmenagogue, diuretic, abortefacient, and resolvent. Detailed and comparative studies from its traditional use especially with reference to Unani system of Medicine, to the modern scientific reports have been evaluated in this paper. Keywords: Sudab; Ruta graveolens; Unani system of Medicine; Flavonoid.