Quantification of bitter compounds in (un)traditional preparations of Gentiana purpurea roots

Gentiana purpurea L. was one of the most important medicinal plants in Norway in the 18th and 19th centuries. Indications were all kind of stomach diseases, especially diarrhoea, but also chest diseases such as bronchitis, and to treat coughing and colds. The roots have an intensely bitter taste due to a high content of secoiridoids, with gentiopircrin as the major one. The roots were used as medicine both for humans and animals and prepared with boiling milk, beer or water, or macerated with liqueor. The aim of this study was to quantify the yield of the bitter compounds sweroside, gentiopicrin and amarogentin, and the degradation product erythrocentaurin in preparations of gentian root extracted with solvents used in traditional preparations of herbal drugs.

Dried gentian roots were extracted with beer, white wine, vinegar, ethanol, milk and water at different temperatures and time lengths, and the yield of the bitter compounds sweroside, gentiopicrin, amarogentin and erythrocentaurin were quantified with HPLC-DAD.

Maceration with 40% and 70% ethanol gave the highest yield of gentiopicrin, while boiling with beer, white wine, vinegar and milk gave a higher yield than with boiling water. Erythrocentaurin was only detected when the roots were added to cold water or low alcohol concentrations before heating. There were only small differences in the yields of sweroside and amarogentin.

We have for the first time described how traditional extraction solvents influence the yield of bitter compounds from G. purpurea roots.

 

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023