Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels: Influence of Value Chain on Quality Criteria and Marker Compounds Ferulic Acid and Z-Ligustilide.

(Apiaceae; radix) is among the most often used Chinese medicinal plants. However, hardly anything is known about its value chain and its influence on the main marker compounds of the drug. The aim of this study is to investigate the value chain of in Gansu and Yunnan, and the analysis of the marker compounds ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide concentration in relation to quality criteria such as the production area and size of the roots.

HPTLC Fingerprinting and Cholinesterase Inhibitory and Metal-Chelating Capacity of Various Cultivars and .

Inhibitory activity of thirty-one ethanol extracts obtained from albedo, flavedo, seed and leaf parts of 17 cultivars of species from Turkey, the bark and leaves of L. from two locations (Turkey and Cyprus) as well as caffeic acid and hesperidin was tested against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, using ELISA microtiter assays at 500 µg/mL. Metal-chelating capacity of the extracts was also determined.

Antidiabetic potential of two medicinal plants used in Gabonese folk medicine.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder which is rising globally in rich and developing countries. In the African region this rate is the highest, with 20 million diagnosed diabetics. Despite a noticeable progress in the treatment of diabetes mellitus by synthetic drugs, the search for new natural anti-diabetic agents is going on.

Prevention of False-Positive Results: Development of an HPTLC Autographic Assay for the Detection of Natural Tyrosinase Inhibitors.

A simple and rapid high-performance thin-layer chromatography-based autographic assay was established to screen plant extracts for the presence of tyrosinase-inhibiting substances. Three mobile phases were selected for the chromatographic separation of different types of extracts. After development, the plate was sprayed with the substrate solution Levodopa followed by a solution of the enzyme tyrosinase.

Screening and determination of sibutramine in adulterated herbal slimming supplements by HPTLC-UV densitometry.

The adulteration of herbal supplements is of growing importance, especially when they contain undeclared compounds like sibutramine that are unsafe drugs. Sibutramine was withdrawn from US and European markets in 2010. In this study, an HPTLC-UV densitometric method was developed for the quantification of sibutramine in herbal diet foods.

Rapid high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for detection of 5% adulteration of black cohosh with Cimicifuga foetida, C. heracleifolia, C. dahurica, or C. americana.

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is used to treat discomfort during menopause and as a substitute for synthetic drugs in hormone replacement therapy. The mostly wildcrafted plant is ranked among the top-selling herbs in the United States. There is a risk for adulteration with the similar-looking C.

Spasmolytic and antidiarrhoeal properties of the Yucatec Mayan medicinal plant Casimiroa tetrameria.

The Maya of the Yucatán peninsula commonly use the leaves of Casimiroa tetrameria for treating gastrointestinal disorders, notably diarrhoea and dysentery, as well as gastrointestinal cramps. The phytochemical investigation resulted in the isolation of 13 compounds: eight polymethoxylated flavonoids (two as minor components with a main constituent), four flavonoid glycosides and one furanocoumarin. In this study we used two well-established models in order to assess the gastrointestinal effects of C.

A furanocoumarin and polymethoxylated flavonoids from the Yucatec Mayan plant Casimiroa tetrameria.

As part of an ongoing study of the medicinal plants of the Yucatec Maya, Casimiroa tetrameria was investigated for its phytochemistry. From an ethyl acetate partition of an ethanol extract of the leaves, eight flavonoids and a furanocoumarin were isolated and characterised as 5,6,2',3',5',6'-hexamethoxyflavone, 5,6,2',3',6'-pentamethoxyflavone and 5-methoxy-8-(3''-hydroxymethyl-but-2''-enyloxy)-psoralen using a combination of 1H, 13C NMR and NOESY spectroscopy.

Yucatec Mayan medicinal plants: evaluation based on indigenous uses.

As part of an ethnopharmacological field study 48 medicinal plants were evaluated using several biological assays with the goal to obtain information on the pharmacological effects of these plants, which may be of direct relevance to the indigenous uses. Three species used to treat gastrointestinal disorders showed remarkable activity against Helicobacter pylori. One of them showed activity against Giardia duodenalis.