The Equisetaceae family, commonly known as horsetails, has been of scientific interest for decades due to its status as one of the most ancient extant vascular plant families. Notably, the corresponding species have found their place in traditional medicine, offering a wide array of applications. This study presents a comprehensive phytochemical analysis of polar secondary metabolites within the sterile stems of five distinct species using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile the flowers of Matricaria recutita L., German chamomile, are widely used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, little is known about its roots, which are used in complementary medicine for the preparation of aqueous fermented extracts for the treatment of cramps and anxiety. To broaden the understanding of the active principles involved, a model fermentation approach was developed and fermentates were compared to commercially manufactured tinctures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFL., German chamomile, is one of the most widely used medicinal plants, whose efficacy has been proven in numerous studies. However, its roots have attracted only little interest so far, since mainly above-ground plant parts are used for medicinal purposes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEssential oils (EOs) and their individual volatile organic constituents have been an inherent part of our civilization for thousands of years. They are widely used as fragrances in perfumes and cosmetics and contribute to a healthy diet, but also act as active ingredients of pharmaceutical products. Their antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties have qualified EOs early on for both, the causal and symptomatic therapy of a number of diseases, but also for prevention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the recent past many studies investigated the microbiome of plants including several medicinal plants (MP). Microbial communities of the associated soil, rhizosphere and the above-ground organs were included, but there is still limited information on their seasonal development, and in particular simultaneous investigations of different plant organs are lacking. Many studies predominantly addressed either the prokaryotic or fungal microbiome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study aimed at the identification and quantitation of phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and further characteristic substances in the seeds of L. and L. For this purpose, individual components of extracts recovered with MeOH, CHCl, and by cold-pressing, respectively, were characterized by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS and GC/MS and compared with reference compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVarious species are rich in bioactive compounds and are important medicinal plants in phytotherapy. In the present study, L., Wulfen, and L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracts of kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria L.) are becoming increasingly interesting as ingredients for the health and cosmetics industry. However, comprehensive phytochemical investigations of this plant are scant in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEssential oils are widely used in the food and cosmetics industry as natural flavoring and fragrance substances. For this reason, a thorough quality control applying selected analytical methods is required. Oxidation along with hydroperoxide formation is an important drawback during production and storage of essential oils.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pharm Biomed Anal
September 2020
The concentration levels and stability of protoanemonin, a characteristic constituent of Ranunculaceae species with antimicrobial and fungicidal properties, were studied for the first time in plant extracts prepared from Helleborus niger L. and Pulsatilla vulgaris Mill. using fermentative production processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The therapeutic use of Helleborus niger L. is manifold due to its specific phytochemical composition. Two compound groups, the ranunculin derivates including protoanemonin and the steroidal saponins, are also associated with toxicity (genotoxicity, disintegration of membrane structures).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Mistletoe has been used since ancient times in Europe mostly for medicinal purposes. Since 1917, mistletoe preparations have been applied in cancer therapy and today are the most frequently used complementary medicine in tumor treatment. The main cytotoxic constituents of Viscum album are lectins and viscotoxins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeeds from Hypericum species have recently been identified as an interesting source of xanthone derivatives. Extraction of seeds from H. perforatum with MeOH and subsequent concentration via polyamide adsorption yielded a fraction enriched in tetrahydroxyxanthones (THX), which were further semipurified by silica gel chromatography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeeds of Hypericum perforatum and H. tetrapterum were extracted with dichloromethane and methanol and investigated by chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. Both species yielded a fatty oil fraction amounting to 30.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMercurialis tomentosa L. has been used in Spanish ethnomedicine. In the present study the first phytochemical characterisation of a lipid fraction from M.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFL. is an important medicinal plant with documented use for the treatment of gout, headache and migraine reaching back to the Middle Ages. Triterpenoid saponins from roots and flowers are used in up-to-date phytotherapeutic treatment of bronchitis and colds due to their expectorant and secretolytic effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Oak bark has been used since ancient times in Europaen ethnomedicine because of its adstringent, antimicrobial and hemostatic features, e.g. as a remedy for the treatment of wounds and skin diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrophanthus extracts containing cardioactive cardenolides are still applied in European complementary medicine for the treatment of heart diseases. However, the cardenolide profile and the fate of individual compounds during extraction and storage are not well understood. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to characterize the cardenolide compound pattern in extracts of different polarity and their structural changes upon storage in aqueous fermented preparations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFive homologous acetylated acylglycerols of 3-hydroxyfatty acids (chain lengths C(14) - C(18)), named euphrasianins A - E, were characterized for the first time in Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne (Orobanchaceae) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC/APCI-MS(n) ). In addition to mass spectrometric data, structures of euphrasianins were verified via a three-step total synthesis of one representative homologue (euphrasianin A). The structure of the latter was confirmed by 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments as well as high-resolution electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe seeds of Strophanthus kombé Oliv. are known to contain high levels of cardioactive compounds. However, the therapeutic use of Strophanthus in the treatment of cardiopathy requires more detailed knowledge of the compound profile to profit from the full potential of Strophanthus preparations.
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