Abstract
The lignan 4′-O-β-
d-glucosyl-9-O-(6″-deoxysaccharosyl)olivil had previously been discovered in a methanolic extract
of valerian root (Valeriana officinalis agg.) and characterized as a potent partial agonist at the A1 adenosine receptors. Today, countless scientific sources, webpages, and press articles
mention this compound and discuss it as an active constituent for the sedative effect
of this herbal drug. As no second report confirmed the occurrence of this lignan in
valerian root during the 20 years since its first description in 1998, we intended
to re-prove its presence by means of LCMS using other genuine or added lignans as
a quantitative benchmark. Whilst those lignans were clearly detectable in methanolic
valerian extracts of all six investigated batches of valerian root, no positive proof
of 4′-O-β-
d-glucosyl-9-O-(6″-deoxysaccharosyl)olivil was achieved. Our result suggests that this
compound does not occur regularly in valerian root in the amounts expected from
the single report on the occurrence of this compound.
Key words
Valeriana officinalis
-
Valeriana edulis
- Caprifoliaceae - lignans - olivil - LCMS