Potential Pharmacological Effects of Candlenut Seeds (Aleurites moluccana): a Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Traditional medicine is used by 88% of people in the world and 31.4% of Indonesian people. The source of traditional medicine that has been used for generations especially comes from plants. Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana) is a plant that is widely known, both as a food supplement and as an ingredient in traditional medicine.  Objectives: This study aims to examine the potential pharmacological effects of candlenut seeds and leaves on rat models. Methods: Data was collected based on experimental research articles related to the effects of candlenuts on rat models obtained from PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect which met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The keywords used in the article search were candlenut (Aleurites moluccana), therapeutic effect, and Rattus norvegicus. Key findings: The research results show that candlenut seed extract can reduce plasma glucose, plasma lipoprotein, AST, GGT, and hypersensitivity reactions, candlenut leaf extract can trigger re-reendothelialization in type 2 DM patients, reduce pancreatic malondialdehyde levels, and serum triglycerides, candlenut seed oil can also be useful to stimulate hair growth.  Conclusions: Candlenuts have several pharmacological effects on rat (Rattus norvegicus) models including anti-inflammatory, hair growth, triggering re-reendothelialization, and reducing body weight, blood glucose, lipoproteins, triglycerides, and malondialdehyde.