Ruscus aculeatus Trade in Turkey: Is It Sustainable?

Due to Turkey's rich floral diversity, plants in Turkey have been subjected to studies for many years. In addition, it has been known that trade in medicinal plants mainly exist by harvesting directly from nature. If this is done in great quantities, then it will surely disturb the balance of the nature.

Ruscus species belong to the family Liliaceae. They are rhizomatous evergreen shrubs or perennial herbs, usually dioecious. They have small scale-like stem leaves; leaf-like cladodes, unisexual flowers opening one at a time in the axil of a membranous or leaf-like scale on the adaxial (upper) or abaxial (lower) surface of cladodes. Fruit is a large berry with 1–4 seeds. Four species and 2 varieties, a total of 5 taxa grow naturally in Turkey (R. aculeatus L. var. aculeatus, R. aculeatus L. var. angustifolius Boiss., R. hypoglossum L. R. colchicus P. F. Yeo and R. hypophyllum L.)¹. Underground parts of R. aculeatus are used in the treatment of diseases due to its ruscogenin content which is used as a starting compound in hormone synthesis.

Roots of R. aculeatus have been exported for the last 3 decades. Although quantities vary from year to year, an annual of 900 tones of dried and cleaned roots are exported. This equals 4500 tones of fresh roots. Collection of such high quantities will effect the natural population negatively. In Terme, Ruscus population is destroyed due to extensive collection between 1982 and 1990. A similar case is observed in Adapazarı, Karasu town. Since harvesting was done via tractors, its population in sandy areas is destroyed and can not be regenerated. In other areas such as Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Bursa, Aydın, Osmaniye, Hatay, Hendek, Düzce and Bafra, harvesting was done by collecting by hand with pick axes and hoes so a decrease in the population was observed but it was not so severe and a partial regeneration has occurred. Currently, no big destruction in these areas is observed.

Reference: Davis, P.H. (1984), Flora of Turkey and East Aegean Islands, Volume 8, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, UK.