ABSTRACT
Rumex pictus Forssk. (veined dock), family Polygonaceae, is one of the precious herbs that grows wild in the Middle East. It is known locally as hummayd, hammad (sour-wort), khamsees, and khansees. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the aerial parts of R. pictus showed the presence of volatiles, phenolic compounds, sterols, terpenes, and carbohydrates. GC-MS analysis of the volatile constituents prepared by hydrodistillation of the fresh aerial parts of R. pictus revealed that the major components were hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (7.29%), n-nonanal (6.18%), safranal (4.52%) and n-heptacosane (4.10%). Meanwhile, the major components of the unsaponifiable matter analyzed by GC-MS were butylated hydroxytoluene (19.08%), cycloeicosane (10.97%), 1-hexadecene (9.71%) and phytol (8.53%). Additionally, the major fatty acids identified in R. pictus were palmitic (28.16%), stearic (25.71%) and oleic (4.66%) acids. Flavonoids and anthraquinones were isolated from R. pictus. Furthermore, R. pictus has been proven to possess in vitro antioxidant, cytotoxic, antibacterial, anti-candidiasis, and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities. Further studies should be conducted to determine the pharmacology and the mechanism of action of the isolated compounds, as well as to evaluate the clinical efficacy and the safety of the R. pictus extracts.
