This study evaluated the inhibition and dissolution of calcium oxalate crystals that cause kidney stones using extracts from Ruellia tuberosa L.
Leaf, stem and root parts were extracted by 70% ethanol maceration. The root extract gave the highest yield of 30.58% and contained flavonoid,
terpenoid and tannin compounds. The ability to inhibit nucleus formation was assessed by spectrophotometric method at 620 nm to determine the
absorbance of the crystal nucleus. The leaf extract showed the strongest activity with IC50 of 5.13 mg/mL. The inhibition of crystal growth was
monitored by spectrophotometry at 214 nm for 10 minutes. The leaf extract also gave the best results with IC50 of 7.15 mg/mL. The inhibition of
crystal aggregation was measured at 620 nm for 6 hours, the stem extract showed the highest activity with IC50 of 7.1 mg/mL. The ability to
dissolve crystals was evaluated by titration method, the stem extract achieved 51.48% dissolution at 20 mg/mL. The results showed that R.
tuberosa extracts can inhibit kidney stone formation, with the leaf extract effectively inhibiting the early stages and the stem extract inhibiting the
later stages and dissolving crystals. This could be a natural therapy for kidney stones. Further research should isolate the bioactive compounds
responsible for this activity.