Minnieroot (Ruellia tuberosa)

Kencana ungu or Pletesan or Minnieroot (Ruellia tuberosa) is an upright herb with a height of up to 1 meter and has many branches. Egg-shaped leaves with blunt edges, thin, flat surface, green, flat edges and pinnate bones.

R. tuberosa has 12 cm long leaves, 5 cm wide and 2.5 cm long stalks. The stem is a blunt quadrilateral, purplish green, covered with fine and short hair. Flowers have a diameter of 4-5 cm and a tube length of 5-6 cm.

Thin crowns of light purple, semicircular, numbering five strands and fused to the bottom to form a tube. The withered flower crown will detach from the base of the flower. The pistil is purplish white, the head is flattened and the stalk is 3 cm long.

White stamens, numbering five with sari stems attached to the flower tube wall. The stem is 0.5-1 cm long. The anthers are white with a width of 1 mm and a length of 6 mm. White pollen, large amounts, rather sticky and pollination using insects.

The flower petals are green, number four, 3 cm long and continue to live until the fruit is ripe. Tubular fruit with tapered tip and 2-3 cm long. Young fruits are green, old are brown. If the ripe fruit is exposed to water it will erupt, detach and be thrown from the stalk. Seeds are round, flat and brown in color. Minnieroot uses taproots and tubers.

This plant contains active chemical compounds including alkaloids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, saponins, coumarin and quinone dyes. Roots contain apigenin and luteolin. Seed oil contains myristic, capril and lauric acid.

Traditional treatment using R. tuberosa as an antidiabetic, antipyretic, analgesic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The leaves are ground into pasta and used to treat wounds, itching, insect bites, venereal disease, wounds, tumors and rheumatic complaints.

Indonesian people use for medicine for diabetes, stone urine, wounds and rheumatism. In Sri Lanka to cure stomach ailments. Suriname uses as an anti-worm, joint and muscle pain, blood cleanser and whooping cough. Grenada for fever, colds and hypertension. Dominican Republic for boosters for men.

Kingdom: Plantae
- : Angiosperms
- : Eudicots
- : Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Ruellia
Species: R. tuberosa

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