Pharmacognosy with the Basics of Plant Biochemistry - Kovalyov V. M. 2004

Special Part
Phenolic Compounds
Medicinal plants and raw materials containing xanthones

SPOTTED ST. JOHN'S WORT HERB — HERBA HYPERICI MACULATI

Spotted St. John's wort — Hypericum maculatum Grantz. (Hypericum quadrangulum L.), fam. Clusiaceae (Hypericaceae)

Spotted St. John's wort; the name comes from the Greek hypo — under and ereike — heather, meaning growing near heather; Lat. maculatum — spotted.

A perennial herbaceous plant, 30-60 cm tall. The stem is erect, glabrous, quadrangular, with four longitudinal sharp ridges. Leaves are opposite, entire, short-petiolate, ovate, with scattered translucent dots. Flowers are regular, bisexual, gathered in a narrow raceme. Sepals lack glandular streaks along the margin. Petals are yellow, with black dots along the margin. Blooms in June-July. The fruit is a capsule.

Distribution. Grows throughout Ukraine, except for the southern regions, in forests, clearings, along riverbanks, and in dry meadows.

Harvesting. The tops of the plants, 25-30 cm long, are cut during flowering. Dried in attics or under sheds, spread in a thin layer.

Chemical composition of the raw material. The raw material contains Xanthones and lignanxanthones: kilokorin, maculatoxanthone, catechins; Flavonoids — quercitrin (0.13%), rutin, quercetin, hyperin; anthraquinones — hypericin, pseudohypericin; Tannins (3-8%), essential oil comprising a- and ß-pinene, myrcene, limonene, humulene, etc.

Biological activity and application. The herb infusion is used as a bactericidal and antiprotozoal agent.

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CENTAURY HERB — HERBA CENTAURII

Common centaury (syn. European centaury, centdery) — Centaurium erythraea Rafn. (C. umbellatum, C. minus, Erythraea centaurium), fam. Gentianaceae

Common centaury; the name originates from the Latinized Kentaureion — the name of the centaur Chiron; Lat. erythraea — from the Greek erythros — red.

A biennial (rarely annual to triennial) herbaceous plant, up to 35-40 cm tall. Stem leaves are opposite, sessile, oblong-lanceolate, about 3 cm long and 1 cm wide, with three to five prominent Veins. Basal leaves form a rosette, obovate, with five veins, about 4 cm long and 2 cm wide. Flowers are regular, bisexual, up to 1.5 cm long, dark pink, with a nail-shaped five-lobed corolla, gathered in a dense panicle. Fruits are multi-seeded capsules. Seeds are small, irregularly rounded, reticulate-foveolate, brownish.

Pretty centaury — Centaurium pulchellum Druce is also approved for harvesting. It has smaller dimensions (up to 20 cm); the stem branches from the base; the basal leaf rosette is absent; flowers are darker than those of the common centaury.

Distribution. Grows in dry meadows, forest clearings, forest edges, and steppe slopes throughout Ukraine, Russia, and the Caucasus.

Harvesting. During flowering, the plant is cut with a sickle or knife above the basal leaves. Dried in attics, less frequently under well-ventilated sheds or in dryers at a Temperature of 40-50 °C, spread in a thin layer.

Chemical COMPOSITION OF THE raw material. Hexasubstituted xanthones predominate: 1,6,8-trihydroxy-3,5,7-trimethoxyxanthone, 1,8-dihydroxy-3,5,6,7-tetramethoxyxanthone, etc.; monoterpene Glycosides, among which the main ones are the iridoid gentiopicrin, as well as gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, amarogentin. The aglycone of swertiamarin is erythrocentaurin. The presence of essential oil, flavonoids (apiin, luteolin, apigenin, scutellarein, etc.), phenolic acids, oleanolic acid, and nicotinamide has been proven. Monoterpene Alkaloids gentianine, gentiamin, and gentianidine have been isolated.

1,6,8-trihydroxy-3,5,7-trimethoxyxanthone

Erythrocentaurin

Biological activity and application. The infusion is used as a bitter tonic to stimulate appetite, improve Digestion in case of reduced gastric juice secretion, and enhance intestinal peristalsis. Centaury herb is included in appetite-stimulating and gastric herbal teas.

HEDYSARUM HERB — HERBA HEDYSARI

Alpine sweetvetch — Hedysarum alpinum L. (H. sibiricum Poir.), yellowish sweetvetch — Hedysarum flavescens Regel et Schmalh., fam. Fabaceae

Alpine sweetvetch (Siberian sweetvetch), yellowish sweetvetch; the name comes from the Greek hedys (sweet) and Latin alpinus (alpine).

A perennial herbaceous plant up to 1 m in height. Stem erect, branched. Leaves compound, odd-pinnate, alternate. Flowers pink-purple, gathered in axillary many-flowered racemes. The fruit is a multi-seeded, constricted loment.

Distribution. Found in Northern Russia from the Kola Peninsula to the Far East. Commercial thickets are located in the forest-steppe zone of Chita Oblast. It grows along rivers and at moist forest edges. In places, it forms sweetvetch meadows. Yellowish sweetvetch is a Central Asian species.

Harvesting. During flowering, the flowering tops of the plant are cut. Dried under canopies. The plant is poisonous.

Chemical composition of raw Materials. The herb of sweetvetch contains xanthones, the main one being mangiferin (0.8–1.92%), isomangiferin (0.05–0.07%), glucomangiferin, and glucosomangiferin. In addition, flavonoids have been found — polystachyside, hyperoside, hedysiride; as well as Coumarins, tannins, and traces of alkaloids.

Glucomangiferin

Glucoisomangiferin

Biological activity and application. Alpizarin, a medication based on mangiferin, is produced in tablet and ointment forms for the Treatment of herpes and other viral infections. Eastern medicine widely uses sweetvetch roots as a general tonic.