ABSTRACT
Wild edible and underutilized fruits are sometimes more nutritious than the widely consumed ones. Rubus is one of the largest genera in the family Rosaceae, and the members are well known as wild edibles. R. ellipticus is used mainly among tribals for treatment of various gynecological and stomach problems, and fruits are widely consumed. In this study, the methanolic extract of Rubus ellipticus showed the presence of high amounts of anti-oxidants in preliminary analyses. The chemical profile of this volatile plant extract can be detected using GC-MS, and here, the methanol extract of R. ellipticus fruit was tested to reveal the volatile chemical agents which are responsible for its therapeutic effects.
Among the 29 compounds detected from GC-MS analysis, 17 were identified, and many of them were found to possess therapeutical effects, like the curative efficiency of R. ellipticus. An analysis of the chromatogram shows the presence of various unknown compounds, which need to be identified, and that will clearly pave ways to explore the therapeutic uses of methanolic extract of R. ellipticus in a more effective way.
