 Botany
Sapinit is a climbing, straggling, prickly shrub, reaching a height of 2 to 3 meters, with branches covered by wooly hairs. Stems, buds, petioles, and lower surfaces of the leaves are velvety. Leaves are thin, flat, usually 3- to 5-lobed, deeply cordate at the base, broadly ovate, and 5 to 15 centimeters wide. Upper surface is hairy and prominently reticulate when dry. Flowers are about 2 centimeters across, usually in small clusters, and borne in racemes at the axils of leaves and at the ends of branches. Calyx lobes are ovate to lanceolate, entire or pectinate. Petals are obovate, white, and shorter than the calyx segments. Berries are bright red, about 1 centimeter in diameter, succulent, slightly acid, with numerous carpels, and hairy receptacle.
 Distribution
- In forests at medium and higher altitudes, and in very wet regions at low altitudes, from northern Luzon to Mindanao and Palawan.
- Also occurs in India, through Malaya to Australia and Fiji.
Constituents
- Bark contains 10 percent tannin and considered astringent.
- Fruit contains malic and citric acids, pectin and albumin.
- In a study of three wild
Rubus species, R. moluccanus yielded the highest total flavonoid content [18.17 ± 0.20 mg catechin equivalents (CE)/g] and anthocyanin content [36.96 ± 0.39 mg cyanidine-3-glucosiide equivalents (c-3-gE)/g]. (see study below) (7)
- Phytochemical screening yielded
26 compounds. Major constituents were hydroxy methyl furfural (21.642) and 1,1,2,-triacetoxyethane (17.908), and 2,4-dihydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furan-3-one (10.345) and 2-hydroxy-3-methyl1-4-pyrone. (see study below) (7)
- Phytochemical screening of various extracts (ethanl formaldehyde, acetic acid, chloroform) of leaves yielded alkaloids (E), proteins and amino acids (E, C), phenolic compounds (F, E), tannins (F,E), glycosides (E, AA, C) and saponins (E).
(see study blow) (8)
- Study of ethanolic extract of defatted whole plant isolated a pentacyclic triterpene, rubonic acid. (9)
Properties
- Leaves considered emmenagogue and abortifacient.
- Root is astringent.
Parts used
Roots, leaves, and fruit.
Uses
Edibility
- Fruit is edible with sour flavor; used in jams and sauces.
Folkloric
- Root, leaves, and fruit used for diarrhea.
- Malays use the fruit as remedy for nocturnal micturition in children.
- Leaves considered a powerful emmenagogue and abortifacient.
- A single dose of sap from young shoots drunk to induce labor. (6)
- Root decoction used for dysentery.
- In India, decoction of tender leaves of R. moluccanus, together with Psidium guajava, Perilla ocimoides and Vernonia volkameriaefolia and Urena lobota root prepared in water administered in an empty stomach once daily for 2-3 days for abdominal pain.
- In Assam, India, frjuit, young shoots (leaves and stems) are taken to provide energy, and enhance fertility in female. (10) Leaves part of a herbal leaf concoction used for abdominal pain. Decoction of tender shoots with leaves, fruit, seed kernerl, aerial parts of other plants used for peptic ulcer disease. (11)
- Leaf used as antihypertensive.
- In Papua, New Guinea, heated leaves are applied to the abdomen for abdominal pain. (11)
- Leaves chewed with salt and spat onto sores to promote healing. Sap from leaves or stems used to treat eye diseases. (6)
- Fruit considered a remedy for nocturnal bedwetting of children. (6)
Others
- Dyes: Fruit yields a purple dye.
 Studies
• Anthocyanin / Antioxidant / Anti-Inflammatory / Anticancer: Study evaluated three wild Jamaica-grown species: Rubus jamaicensis, Rubus rosifoius, and Rubus racemosus. The hexane extracts of Rubus spp. exhibited moderate COX inhibitory adtivity and the greatest potential to inhibit cancer cell growth (colon, breast, lung, and gastric human tumor cells). The high anthocyanin content of the fruits suggest a health benefit for a functional food. (5)
• Antioxidant / Antibacterial:Study evaluated 80% methanol extracts of three wild Rubus species viz., R. moluccanus, R. fraxinifolius, and R. alpestris. R. moluccanus and R. alpestris extracts showed mild inhibition towards Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enteritidis. R. moluccanus showed a total phenolic content of 20.76, tootl flavonoid 18.17, total anthocyanin 36.96 and total carotenoid 9.69. Antioxidant assays yielded 38.00 ± 1.63 (DPPH assay), 50.37 ± 5.28 (FRAP), and 0..73 ± 0.03 (ABTS) assays. (see constituents above) (7)
• Antimicrobial / Anthelmintic / Leaves:Study evaluated varous extracts of shade dried and pulverized leaves of Rubus moluccanus for antimicrobial and anthelmintic activities. Results showed febrifugal and febricidal activity against adult Indian earthworn, Pheretima posthuma.. The ethanol extract showed significant antibacterial and antfungal activity aganst test pathogenic organisms i.e., E. coli, B. subtilis, and S. aureus. (8)
• Rubonic Acid / New Triterpene:Rubonic acid, a new pentacycli triteroene acid from the defatted whole plant of Rubud moluccanus formulated as 3,7-diket-olean-12-ene-28-oic acid on he basis of spectral {IR, UV, PMR and mass) and chemical evdences. (9)
Availability
- Wild-crafted.
-
Seeds, teas, powders, plants in the cybermarket.
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