Rubus species (family Rosaceae) have been cultivated for centuries for their fruits. These and other parts of the plants have been used traditionally for therapeutic purposes. This article highlights these and the potential they can offer. The constituents reported in the various species and those demonstrated to exhibit pharmacological properties have been reviewed. In the search for biologically active compounds, one of the most frequently documented species of the genus is the raspberry plant R. idaeus, the leaves of which have been used traditionally as a uterine relaxant and stimulant during confinement, for the treatment of diarrhoea and similar enteric disorders and as an astringent. Investigations of other Rubus species have been conducted in the last twenty-five years, and have shown possible application for a wide range of indications, including bacterial infections, anxiety, pain and inflammation.

Tea made from the leaves of Rubus idaeus L. (raspberry) has been used for centuries as a folk medicine to treat wounds, diarrhoea, colic pain and as a uterine relaxant. Extracts of dried raspberry leaves prepared with different solvents, (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform and methanol) were tested in vitro for relaxant activity on transmurally stimulated guinea-pig ileum. The methanol (MeOH) extract exhibited the largest response and also indicated that the active compounds are of a relatively polar nature. Hence the bulk of the leaves were extracted with methanol and the dried extract fractionated on a silica gel column, eluting with chloroform, mixtures of chloroform and methanol and finally methanol. Each fraction was examined by thin layer chromatography and tested for relaxant activity in an in vitro transmurally stimulated guinea-pig ileum preparation. The fractions eluted with chloroform (CHCl(3)) lacked relaxant activity. Samples eluted with CHCl(3)/MeOH (95:5) had moderate relaxant activity, while a second distinctive peak of activity eluted with a more polar solvent mixture (CHCl(3)/MeOH 50:50) provided strong dose dependent responses. Evidence was obtained that there are at least two components of raspberry leaf extract which exhibit relaxant activity in an in vitro gastrointestinal preparation.

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A methanol extract of Rubus idaeus leaves was fractionated by column chromatography and the eluted samples were tested for their ability to relax transmurally stimulated Guinea pig ileum preparations in vitro. Two distinct bands of activity were detected. From band one sitosterol and eight triterpenoids were characterized, but only olean-18-ene-1β, 2α, 3α-triol demonstrated smooth muscle relaxant activity. This compound is, to the best of our knowledge, novel, as are olean-12-ene-3β, 29-diol and urs-12-ene-3β, 30-diol.