Chemical analysis of some Ocimum basilicum medicinal teas

Objectives. Ocimum basilicum is one of the widespread medicinal plants, widely used due to its multiple therapeutic properties (antimicrobial, antiviral, hypoglycemic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, carminative, stomachic, antioxidant, analgesic, etc.), as well as its specific aromatic character. The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate the chemical composition (flavonoids, caffeic acid derivatives, tannins, essential oil) of the aerial parts of some Romanian medicinal teas of Ocimum basilicum. Materials and methods. The content of flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins in three samples of O. basilicum tea were determined spectrophotometrically. Identification of important phenolic compounds (rutin, isoquercitrin chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid) was performed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation method. Outcomes and conclusions. Following the quantitative determinations performed, it can be seen that the basil samples are rich in active principles, and their use for the treatment of some diseases can be justified.

Increasing medicinal and phytochemical compounds of coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) as affected by NO3−/NH4+ ratio and perlite particle size in hydroponics

Medicinal plants are considered as one of the most important sources of chemical compounds, so preparing a suitable culture media for medicinal plant growth is a critical factor. The present study is aimed to improve the caffeic acid derivatives and alkylamides percentages of Echinacea purpurea root extract in hydroponic culture media with different perlite particle size and NO3−/NH4+ ratios. Perlite particle size in the growing media was varied as very coarse perlite (more than 2 mm), coarse perlite (1.5–2 mm), medium perlite (1–1.5 mm), fine perlite (0.5–1 mm), and very fine perlite (less than 0.5 mm) in different ratios to peat moss (including pure perlite, 50:50 v/v, 30:70 v/v, and pure peat moss). Two NO3−/NH4+ ratios (90:10 and 70:30) were tested in each growing media. All phytochemical analyses were performed according to standard methods using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It was found that the E. purpurea grown in the medium containing very fine-grade perlite with 50:50 v/v perlite to peat moss ratio had the maximum caffeic acid derivatives, including chicoric acid (17 mg g−1 DW), caftaric acid (6.3 mg g−1 DW), chlorogenic acid (0.93 mg g−1 DW), cynarin (0.84 mg g−1 DW), and echinacoside (0.73 mg g−1 DW), as well as, alkylamides (54.21%). The percentages of these phytochemical compounds increased by decreasing perlite particle size and increasing of NO3−/NH4+ ratio. The major alkylamide in the E. purpurea root extract was dodeca-2E, 4E, 8Z-10 (E/Z)-tetraenoic acid isobutylamide in all treatments, ranging from 31.12 to 54.21% of total dry weight. It can be concluded that optimizing hydroponic culture media and nutrient solution has significant effects on E. purpurea chemical compounds.

Phytochemical analysis of herbal teas containing caffeic acid

Objectives. The present analysis was to investigate the content of caffeic acid derivatives, antioxidant activity, and the presence of caffeic acid in alcoholic extracts obtained from 16 simple teas from the following medicinal plants: Vaccinium mуrtilluѕ, Camеllia ѕinеnѕiѕ, Coffea arabica, Mеlіssa οffіcіnalіs, Οcіmum basіlіcum, Rοsmarіnus οffіcіnalіs, Salvіa οffіcіnalіs, Ηyssοрus οffіcіnalіs, Αrtеmіsіa absіntһіum, Cynara scοlymus, Calendula officinalis, Cοrіandrum satіvum, Fοеnіculum vulgarе, Carum carvі, Rοsa canіna, Crataеgus mοnοgyna. Materials and methods. The presence of caffeic acid was evaluated using the thin layer chromatography method (TLC). The total content of phenylpropanoids from the medicinal herbs alcoholic extracts was determined using a spectrophotometric method. Outcomes. Results were in the range of 0.046-2.426% caffeic acid derivatives (CAE%). The antioxidant properties were measured using the DPPH radical scavenging mechanism. The results were found to be in the range of 63.93% and 0.38% inhibition level (I%). The greatest antioxidant activity was measured for Camellia sinensis (I = 45.54%), followed by Vaccinium myrtillus (I = 50.289%). Conclusions. In this paper it was shown that these medicinal plants are rich in caffeic acid derivatives with antioxidant action capitalized in the prevention of serious diseases.

Increasing Medicinal and Phytochemical Compounds of Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea L.) Medicinal Plant using New Hydroponic Culture Media and Nutrition Pattern

Medicinal plants are considered as one of the most important sources of chemical compounds, so preparing a suitable culture media for medicinal plant growth is a critical factor. The present study is aimed to improve the caffeic acid derivatives and alkylamides percentages of Echinacea purpurea root extract by optimizing the NO3-/NH4 + ratio in new hydroponic culture media. Perlite particle size in the growing media was varied as very coarse perlite (more than 2 mm), coarse perlite (1.5-2 mm), medium perlite (1-1.5 mm), fine perlite (0.5-1 mm), and very fine perlite (less than 0.5 mm) with a mixture of peat moss at 50:50 v/v and 30:70 v/v peat moss to perlite ratios. Two NO3-/NH4 + ratios (90:10 and 70:30) were tested in each growing media. All phytochemical analyses were performed according to standard methods using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It was found that the E. purpurea grown in the medium containing very fine-grade perlite with 50:50 v/v perlite to peat moss ratio had the maximum caffeic acid derivatives, including chicoric acid (17 mg/g DW), caftaric acid (6.3 mg/g DW), chlorogenic acid (0.93 mg/g DW), cynarin (0.84 mg/g DW), and echinacoside (0.73 mg/g DW), as well as, alkylamides (54.21%). The percentages of these phytochemical compounds increased by decreasing perlite particle size and increasing of NO3-/NH4 + ratio. The major alkylamide in the E. purpurea root extract was dodeca-2E, 4E, 8Z-10 (E/Z)-tetraenoic acid isobutylamide in all treatments, ranging from 31.12% to 54.21% of total dry weight. It can be concluded that optimizing hydroponic culture media and nutrient solution has significant effects on E. purpurea chemical compounds.

Stem Lettuce and Its Metabolites: Does the Variety Make Any Difference?

The objective of the present study was to characterize chemical composition of hitherto unexamined aerial parts of Lactuca sativa var. angustana cv. Grüner Stern. In contrast to leafy and head varieties of the lettuces, asparagus lettuce grown in Europe is much less studied. Fractionation of a methanolic extract from leaves of L. sativa cv. Grüner Stern, supported with HPLC/DAD and 1H NMR analysis, led to the isolation and/or identification of numerous terpenoid and phenolic compounds, including five apocarotenoids—(-)-loliolide, (+)-dehydrovomifoliol, blumenol A, (6S,9S)-vomifoliol, and corchoionoside C; three sesquiterpene lactones; two lignans—((+)-syringaresinol and its 4-O-β-glucoside); five caffeic acid derivatives; and three flavonoids. Some of the compounds, to the best of our knowledge, have never been isolated from L. sativa before. Moreover, monolignols, phenolic acids and a tryptophan-derived alkaloid were found in the analyzed plant material. Stems, leaves and shoot tips of the asparagus lettuce were examined to assess their phenolics and sesquiterpene lactone content as well as DPPH scavenging activity. Another stem lettuce—L. sativa var. angustana cv. Karola, two cultivars of leafy lettuces and one species of wild lettuce—L. serriola, were also examined as a reference material using HPLC/DAD. The results have been discussed regarding our previous studies and the literature data available.