Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
JUNCUS EFFUSUS
LINNAEUS
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Juncaceae
Common name: Soft rush, common rush
Distribution: Most temperate countries
Habitat: Wet areas, marshes, streams, ditches
Description: This species grows in large clumps with a maximum height of
1.5 m. The stem is smooth and cylindrical, and the inlorescence is yellow-
ish in color.
Compounds and activities: Several bioactive compounds, including phen-
anthrenes, have been isolated from the dry stem of this species. These
compounds are dihydrodibenzoxepin, medullae juncus esters A and B,
5-α-spinasterol, β-sitosterol, effusol, ρ-coumaric acid, nobiletin, querce-
tin, and rutinose. Among them, effusol has shown anxiolytic and sedative
properties (Liao et al. 2011; Wang et al., 2012). The above compounds
are used as sedative and anxiolytic agents in Chinese medicines. Some of
these compounds have also been reported to possess antitumor activities.
O
H
CH
3
N
HO
CH
3
dihydrodibenzoxepin
medullae juncus ester A, B
