A Candidate for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Treatment: Common Rue (Ruta graveolens L.), an Important Medicinal Plant in Traditional Medicine.

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Ruta graveolens L. belongs to Rutaceae; it is a semi-wood perennial or a small evergreen sub-shrub, which is native to Southern Europe, West Asia and Northern Africa. The goal of this manuscript was to outline the most notable traditional and modern advantages and pharmaceutical benefits of common rue. The manuscript covers review articles, randomized control experiments, analytical studies and observations, which have been gathered from different sources, such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct and PubMed. A review of the literature was carried out using the keywords rutin, Ruta graveolens L., rue, common rune, coumarin, natural products and pharmaceutical benefits. Rue contains quinoline alkaloids, such as graveoline and graveolinine, acridone alkaloids, such as furacridone and gravacridone, furanoquinoline dictamnine, coumarins, such as gravelliferone, isorutarin, rutacultin, rutaretin, and suberenone, and the furanocoumarins 5-methoxypsoralen (bergapten) and 8-methoxypsoralen (xanthotoxine). Most of its aromatic and medicinal properties are due to the presence of rutin and its essential oil. It has been used in folk medicine as a stimulant, for its antiinflammatory and analgesic properties, anti-androgenic activity, anti-hyperglycemic effects, antihyperlipidemic effects, xanthine oxidase inhibition activity, and anticancer properties. According to pharmacological and phytochemical advantages, pennyroyal shows its importance as a medicinal plant in both modern medicinal science and traditional medicine.