HerbResearch

As defined in the EU directive 178/2002/EC producers of food – and thus also of food supplements – are now obliged to make the origin of herbal raw materials traceable. The directive is based on the WHO-Guideline „Good Agricultural and Collection Practice”, which defines clear rules for the treatment of raw materials of herbal origin.

Currently two medicinal plants with a long tradition of use conquer the Western markets: Saffron, the stigmates of Crocus sativus, and Hoodia sp., a South African cactus-like Asclepiadaceae. Saffron was highly estimated by Arabian, Persan, Roman and Greek health authorities for its cardiotonic, anti-inflammatory, liver protective, stimulant and aphrodisiac effects. In modern pharmacological research, adaptogenic, antidepressant and cancer-protective effects were evidenced.

Download Closing the gap between modern science and traditional medicine: Saffron (Crocus sativus) and Hoodia sp. in the context of adulterations, GACP and clinical research. Symposium on Medicinal Plant Research, Amman (Jordanien), November 16-18, 2005

Herbal medicine and herbal nutritional supplements: Quality issues and consumer safety
25èmes Journées Internationales Huiles Essentielles & Extraits, Digne les Bains (France), September 14-15, 2006

The composition of secondary metabolites of Saint John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum, SJW) varies according to growth conditions and vegetative stage. We  determined the quantity and qualitative composition of SJW oil by GC-MS at three vegetative stages: before flowering, at full flowering, and at the time of fruit formation.

Results: Whereas fresh and dry yield of biomass per hectare was highest at the time of fruit formation, SJW in full flowering gave the highest amounts of essential oil (0.35 ml/100 g of dry matter) as compared to earlier (0.12 ml/100 g) respectively later vegetative stages (0.16 ml/100g). Major constituents of the essential oil of SJW
of all vegetative stages are bicyclogermacrene, alpha-cadinol and spathulenol.
Bicyclogermacrene shows a distinct peak at full flowering as compared to early or late stages. beta-Caryophyllene and gamma-muurolene are only present in major amounts in early flowering, whereas alpha-cadinene is indicative for full flowering, and beta-bisabolene respectively globulol for late flowering stages. gamma-Eudesmol sharply decreases after full flowering. Longifolene is not present in full flowering, but present in very high amounts (18.71 respectively 21.99%) in early respectively late flowering. In case these results – obtained with the cultivar „Topas” from a closely defined region – could be generalized, these compounds might be used as a quality parameter for essential oils from SJW. The analytical results would suggest the stage of full flowering as the optimal harvesting time, in accordance with traditional use of SJW.

Download Study of the Phytochemical Variability of the Essential Oil PDF of Hypericum perforatum in Relation to Vegetative Stage Poster: 53rd Annual Congress of the Society for Medicinal Plant Research, Florence (Italy), August 21-25, 2005

Ferula gummosa is an endemic species of the Persian mountains. Its resin, referred to in the book of Exodus as galbanum, has antispasmodic, carminative, expectorant and stimulant properties. It is primarily used in the treatment of spasmodic conditions of the respiratory and digestive systems. The essential oil is used extensively in perfumery. Galbanum is frequently adulterated. Currently, five times more resin is offered for sale on the European market than is actually collected in Iran. Our project was aimed at extending our understanding of the phytochemical variability to facilitate identification of typical adulterants.

Georges Betti took numerous samples of strictly identified specimens of wild populations of Ferula gummosa in three Iranian geographic zones with distinct differences in geology and climate: Khorassan, Elburz and Zagros. The samples were analysed by the French Centre National de Recherche Scientifique. The analytical data was correlated with origin and chemotype, as well as the analytical profiles of typical adulterants such as Ferula asa-foetida or Dorema ammoniacum. More than 160 phytochemical components, including some not previously described, were identified in galbanum. The results of our work underline the importance of traceability or raw materials of herbal origin.

Ferula gummosa: Phytochemical variability in Iran
Poster, 2004 International Congress on Natural Products Research, Phoenix (USA), July 31 - August 4, 2004