  Gen info
- Rutaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as rue or citrus family. The family contains about 160 genera.
- Triphasia trifolia
is a species of Triphasia in the family Rutaceae., called limeberry, sweet lime or limonsitong kastila.
- It has been noted as potential invasive in several Indian Ocean archipelagos, and along the United States Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas.
(13)
Botany
• Limonsito is a smooth shrub growing to a height of 2 meters. Leaf has two sharp
and slender spines at the base. Leaves have three
leaflets, ovate to oblong-ovate, the terminal one 2 to 4 centimeters long; the
lateral ones, smaller. Margin is crenate, the petioles very short. Flowers are very short-stalked,
white, fragrant exuding a scent of orange blossoms, and about 1 centimeter long. Fruit is ovoid, fleshy and red,
somewhat resinous, about 12 millimeters long.
• Growth form: Typically a shrub up to 3 m tall, but sometimes forms a small tree. Foliage: Compound leaves are composed of 3 elliptic leaflets with the terminal leaflet twice as large as the lateral leaflets (terminal leaflet: 2-4 cm long, lateral leaflets: 1.2-2 cm long, 0.8-1.2 cm wide). A pair of spines is located at the base of the leaf petiole. Flowers: Fragrant, white flowers are composed of 3 oblanceolate petals which are reflexed at the tip. They are produced throughout the year in small clusters of 2-3 in the leaf axils (area between the upper surface of the leaf and adjacent stem). Fruit: Reddish orange to bright red, fleshy fruits are round to ellipsoid (1-1.5 cm long). The fruit peel contains many oil glands that smell like lemon. Each fruit contains 1-3 seeds embedded within a mucilaginous pulp. Fruits are produced continuously throughout the year. (Flora & Fauna Web)
 Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (7)
- Leonardo Co's database lists it as
introduced and naturalized. (12)
-
Throughout the Philippines
in thickets and settled areas, in some places gregarious and abundant.
- Also native to Andaman Is., Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, Christmas I., Cocos (Keeling) Is., Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Solomon Is., Vietnam. (7)
- Pantropic in cultivation.
- Naturalized in many countries.
-
Cultivated
for its ornamental fragrant flower and edible red fruit. Attractive
as a garden hedge.
- It is considered a weed, an aggressive invasive plant in some introduced locations.
It colonizes understory of native forests by spreading through bird droppins and forming dense thickets.
 Constituents
•
Study yielded a new bicoumarin from the leaves and stems; the
two coumarinic moieties are derivatives of mexoticin and meranzin hydrate. (2)
• Oil yielded 81 compounds; the main constituent
was germacrene B.
• Essential oil from aerial parts yielded main constituents, as follows: β-pinene (64.36%), (+)-sabinene (8.75%), hexadecanoic acid (6.03%), α-limonene (4.24%) and p-cymene (2.73%). (see study below) (8)
• GC-MS and GC-FID analysis of essential oils from leaves, stems, and fruits obtained by SDE were characterized by high amount of sabinene (leaf 31.1%, stem 21.1%, and fruit 23.9%) and ß-pinene (leaf 40.8%, stem 36.2%, fruit 32.4%). (11)
• Phytochemical screening of ethanol extract of leaves revealed flavonoids, tannins, steroids, alkaloids, and phenolics.
(see study below) (15)
• Examination of the leaves of Triphasia trifolia (Rutaceae ) revealed the presence of seven prenylated coumarins: murrangatin (1) triphasiol (2), byakangelicin (3), mexoticin (4), meranzin hydrate (5). aurapten (6) and heraclenol (7).
(16)
• GC-FID and GC-MS analyzed essential oils from leaves and fruits. Major constituents of leaf EO were sabinene (35.4%) and myrcene (34.1%), while fruits yielded prevalent compounds of sabinene (37.2%), beta-pinene (23.95%),and gamma-terpinene (16.3%). (17)
• Study of evaluated fruit and leaf decoctions for coumarins. Fruit decoction yielded isopimpinelin, (R)-byakangelicin and (S)-mexoticin, while the leaf decoction yielded (R)-byakangelicin, aurapten, (S)-mexoticin, isosibiricin, isomerazin and coumurrayin and the flavonoid vitexin.
(18)
 Properties
• Berries are lemon-scented.
• Fragrant white flowers have a scent of orange blossoms.
• Leaves exude a resinous scent when bruised.
• Considered antifungal and antibacterial.
• Fruit yields a glue; stems yield a gum. (9)
bruised.
• Studies have suggested antimicrobial, antioxidant, repellent, cholinesterase- inhibitory, anti-HSV properties.
Parts utilized
Leaves and fruits.
Uses
Edibility / Nutrition
- Fruit is edible, eaten raw or cooked.
- Ripe fruit is pleasant and sweet tasting.
- Fruit can be pickled or made into jams.
Folkloric
- Leaves applied externally for colic, diarrhea, and skin afflictions.
- Fruits used for cough and sore throat.
- Preparation: Peel the fruits and soak overnight lime (apog) water. Rinse,
and boil in 1 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar. Rinse and boil a second
and third time as preferred, syrupy or candied, using as needed for
cough or sore throat.
- In India and the islanders of the Indian Ocean, fresh crushed leaves applied to dandruff. Also, used for coughs. (5)
- In the Dutch Indies, natives apply the leaves to the body for various complaints: diarrhea colic, and skin diseases.
- In Indonesia, fruit eaten for treatment of cough.
- In Guyana, fruit is cooked in water and sugar, used as remedy for coughs to loosen phlegm.
Others
- Baths: Leaves used in making aromatic bath salts.
- Cosmetic: Leaves used in cosmetics. Samoan kids use the fruit to paint the nails.
- Wood:
Hard wood used for making stakes. Also, an excellent source of fuel and charcoal. (9)
- Wine: Wine made from ripe berries. Studies
• Phenolics
/ Anti-HSV: Study
on the inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds on herpes simplex virus
and HIV included 13 coumarins from Triphasia trifolia. The data suggests
the bis-hydroxyphenyl structure as a potential target for anti-HSV and
HIV drugs development. (1)
• Antioxidant / Repellent / Essential Oil : Study of essential oil from aerial parts showed high antioxidant potential (94.53%) comparable to ascorbic acid (96.40%). The oils also showed high repellent activity on the insect Tribolium castaneum Herbst (99%±1). (see constituents above) (8)
• Antimicrobial / Leaves and Stems: Study evaluated various extracts of air dried leaves and stems of Triphasia trifolia for antimicrobial activity. Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and triterpenoids. A crude methanolic extract of stems showed strongest antimicrobial activity against both gram positive (S. aureus, S. epidermis, B. subtilis, and M. luteus) and gram negative (E. coli) bacteria while crude dichlormethane and ethanolic extracts of stems showed strong inhibition of B. subtilis and M. luteus. (10)
• Controlled Release Hydrogel Formulation: Study reports on the successful encapsulation of T. trifolia in thermo-sensitive chitosan hydrogels by a facile insitu loading. Results showed the developed hydrogels encapsulating the limeberry extract show their heat and pH sensitivitiy in controlled release for treating chronic wounds. (14)
• Inhibitory Effect against Vibrio sp. / Leaves: Study evaluated ethanol extract of limeberry leaves for repressive effect on Vibrio sp., the most common bacteria found in marine waters. Concentration levels of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% were used. Phytochemical screening of ethanol extracts revealed flavonoids, tannins, steroids, alkaloids, and phenolics. Results showed inhibition of growth of Vibrio sp., with ZOI (zone of inhibition) diameters of 7.28, 7.64, 7.712, 8,027, and 8.070 mm for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% respectively. (15)
• Hydrodistillation of Essential Oil from Fruits: Study evaluated the suitable conditions for essential oil extraction from fruits of T. trifolia using hydrodistillation technique. Highest yield of EO (7.9 mL/kg dry matter) was obtained at optimal conditions such as fine particle size, solid to solvent ration of 1:5, temperature oil bath of 140°C, and distillation time of 3 h. State of fruit maturation affected EO yield. EO yield decreases significantly when ripened fruits are not kept in cool conditions before distillation. Ripened fruits should be immediately processed or kept in cool storage to maintain EO yield. (17)
• Antimicrobial / Cholinesterase Inhibition / EO of Leaves and Fruits: GC-FID and GC-MS analyzed essential oils from leaves and fruits. Major constituents of leaf EO were sabinene (35.4%) and myrcene (34.1%), while fruits yielded prevalent compounds of sabinene (37.2%), beta-pinene (23.95%),and gamma-terpinene (16.3%). Both showed moderate antimicrobial activity against Gram(+) and Gram(-) bacteria. Fruit and leaf decoction yielded various coumarins. All coumarins showed cholinesterase inhibition on TLC tests. (see constituents above) (18)
Availability
- Wild-crafted.
- Seeds in the cybermarket.
|
