Ruellia tuberosa L.

Kencana ungu (Ruellia tuberosa) is an upright herb of the Acanthaceae family, native to Central America and now widespread across South and Southeast Asia including Indonesia. Its bright purple flowers make it a popular ornamental, while its root is widely used in traditional medicine. Kencana ungu is believed to help address diabetes, urinary stones, and joint pain.

This plant grows in lowlands up to 700 m above sea level, can grow in sandy, hard soil and former mining sites. Humidity 40-50%. Grows in places with full sunlight and in shade.

• Root a taproot, tuberous, brown in color.
• Stem bluntly square-shaped, purplish-green, surface covered with fine short hair.
• Leaves single, ovate-shaped, blunt tip, thin, flat leaf surface, green, flat edges, pinnate venation. Leaf length ± 12 cm, width ± 5 cm, and petiole length ± 2.5 cm.
• Flowers trumpet-shaped, corolla base tube-shaped ± 5-6 cm long, tip with 5 lobes, pale blue to purple in color. 1 pistil, purplish-white, 4 stamens, white in color.
• Fruit tube-shaped, pointed tip, ± 2-3 cm long. Young fruit green, ripe fruit brown. If the ripe fruit gets wet, it will burst open and be released and thrown from its stalk.
• Seeds round-shaped, flat, brown in color.

Propagated generatively (seed) and vegetatively (stem cuttings)

β-sitosterol glucoside, syringaresinol, tannin, acteoside, cistanoside F, syringin, roseoside, pectolinarigenin, demethoxycentaureidin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, flavonoid, saponin, apigenin, luteolin, lupeol, volatile.

Remedy for stomach disease, vermifuge, joint and muscle pain, blood purifier, whooping cough, fever, colds, hypertension, tonic for men, diabetes, urinary stones, wounds, rheumatism, itching, insect and scorpion bites, venereal disease, tumor, treats kidney issues.

• Take kencana ungu leaves, wash thoroughly.
• Place on a tray and air-dry at room temperature away from direct sunlight.
• Once dry, store in a closed container.

Pletekan, Pletikan, Ceplikan, Pletesan (Java).