Abstract
The aim of this research was to compare chemical composition of herbs acquired from different European countries. The concentrations of P, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, phenolic compounds, and the antioxidant activity were determined in infusions of 27 medicinal herbs (7 species) from Lithuania, Serbia, Italy, and Portugal. Total and extractable P were expressed in milligrams per liter and metals in micrograms per liter and followed the sequence: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu, while antioxidant activity ranged from 29.4 to 217.8 mg of Trolox equivalent (TE) per liter. Total flavonoids were in the range of 20.5–95.1 mg L−1. The rank order of phenolic compounds assayed by HPLC method (in mg L−1 of infusion) was as follows: rutin > myricetin > quercetin > kaempferol, and chlorogenic > ferulic > p-coumaric > caffeic > gallic acids. Significant correlations were found between total P–inorganic phosphate P, Zn–Mn, Mn–Cu, total flavonoids–antioxidant activity, and quercetin with caffeic and ferulic acids. Generally, medicinal plant infusions differed in their chemical composition, strongly depending on plant species, regardless of the origin from distant geographical areas of Europe. Principal component analysis selected the concentrations of Cu, Mn, total and inorganic phosphate P, as factors which strongly influence differentiation of the samples. Moreover, infusions from Hyperici herba and Helichrysi inflorescentia contained significant amounts of water-extractable Mn and Fe forms as claimed by the Dietary Reference Intakes for humans.
Highlights
Herbal medicinal products are still in focus of researchers worldwide and the consumption of herbal preparations, even in highly developed countries, is high [1,2,3]
The purpose of this study was to compare the chemical composition of medicinal plants representing seven plant species originating from various areas of Europe (Lithuania, Serbia, Italy, and Portugal), including selected essential elements and phenolic compounds
In particular samples, its level was differentiated, ranging from 36.7 in Equiseti herba to 184.7 mg L−1 in Sambuci flos
Summary
Herbal medicinal products are still in focus of researchers worldwide and the consumption of herbal preparations, even in highly developed countries, is high [1,2,3]. In this situation, there is a necessity to monitor chemical composition of herbal preparations. Several studies were performed to establish the influence of environment and/or botanical plant species on the chemical composition, including the levels of metallic and non-metallic elements in herbal medicinal products [12,13,14,15]
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