Analysis of Salvia Coccinea from Jamaican Populations

Abstract

This is the first report of a phytochemical investigation of Jamaican populations of a local folk medicinal plant Salvia coccinea (Lamiaceae/Labiatae). Apart from the presence of 3-sitosterol, phytochemical profiling of the aerial parts yielded compounds other than those previously reported from Indian and Italian populations. The triterpenes betulinic acid and betulin, the phytosterols beta-sitosterol and beta-sitosterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, as well as the steroid precursor squalene were isolated. The structures of the compounds were established by comparison of NMR spectroscopic data with those reported in literature.