Comprehensive Analysis of the Herbal Mixture Made of Juniperus oxycedrus L. Berries, Inner Bark of Betula pendula Roth., and Grains of Avena sativa L.

Abstract

This is the first report of the high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry profile of a herbal mixture (HM) made of Juniperus oxycedrus L. (redberry juniper) berries, inner bark of Betula pendula Roth. (silver birch), and grains of Avena sativa L. (oat), and its effect on the No. of micronuclei (MN) in human lymphocytes and toxicity toward Artemia salina. Constituents represented by over 1000 µg per g of methanol dry extract were gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, and amentoflavone. The methanol extract of the HM at a concentration of 2.0 μg/mL decreased MN frequency by 38.3%, which was more than 3 times greater than that of the radioprotectant amifostine. The essential oil isolated from the HM was composed mainly of β-myrcene (32%) and showed weaker toxicity toward Artemia salina than the positive control after both incubation periods (24 h and 48 h). These findings suggest that the examined HM, beside its ethnopharmacological relevance on the elimination of renal calculi, also significantly reduces the No. of MN in human lymphocytes.