Alkaloid-screening of swedish plants

Abstract

A method is given for a semi-quantitative determination of the alkaloid concentration in dried plant material. In a screening of two hundred plants in Sweden, wild and cultivated, the following plants not previously known to contain alkaloids gave a positive reaction corresponding to an alkaloid concentration of more than 0·05 per cent of the dried plant: Linnea borealis and Valeriana sambucifolia; and, additionally, the following gave a positive reaction corresponding to at least 0·01 per cent: Armeria maritima, Bartonia aurea, Cobaea scandens, Euphrasia frigida, Galium aparine, Hemerocallis conspicua, Lonicera periclymenum, Melampyrum pratense, Odontites litoralis, Pedicularis palustris, Pedicularis silvatica, Phragmites communis, Picea abies, Pinguicula vulgaris, Platanthera bifolia, Plantago media, Polygala vulgaris, Polygonum viviparum, Rhamnus cathartica, Rhamnus frangula. Silene rupestris, Sorbus intermedia, Spergula arvensis, Spergula marginata, and Veronica officinalis. The following plants, previously reported to contain alkaloids, gave a positive reaction corresponding to more than 0·05 per cent: Ligustrum vulgare, Succisa pratensis, and Valeriana officinalis. In the plant family Scrophulariaceae ten out of nineteen species investigated gave a positive reaction corresponding to at least 0·01 per cent of alkaloids. Earlier reports indicating the presence of alkaloids in the following plants were not confirmed: Alnus glutinosa, Anthemis tinctoria, Butomus umbellatus, Calla palustris, Chamaenerion angustifolium, Corylus avellana, Euphorbia peplus, Geranium molle, Glaux maritima, Herniaria glabra, Odontites verna, Pyrola rotundifolia, and Scirpus Tabernaemontani. The present results are compared with earlier reports available from the literature.