A new HPLC-PDA method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of five phenolic compounds (trans-and cis-isomers of tiliroside, quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside, ellagic acid, kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside) in the leaves of Hippophae salicifolia D. Don. Of the five compounds, three (tiliroside, quercetin-3-O-β-Dglucoside and ellagic acid) were isolated and characterized by spectroscopy techniques. The developed HPLC method provided a selective, sensitive and rapid analysis with good linearity (r 2 > 0.999), accuracy and precision. Also, the leaves of H. salicifolia were extracted by three different extraction techniques viz. reflux, microwave and ultrasound. Methanolic extracts prepared by reflux method showed the highest content of all the five compounds.

Hippophae salicifolia, belonging to family Elaegnaceae, is a thorny shrub, and shows actinorhizal habit. The species prefers a habitat of temperate regions in Europe and Asia. In India, it is distributed in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and the North-Eastern parts. The oil, fruits, leaves, and bark of Hippophae species have a pronounced use in ethnomedicines, nutritional food, cosmetics, nitrogen-fixing in soil, water conservation and as fuel source. The aim of this review is to provide updated, comprehensive, and classified information on the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological and toxicological research carried out on H. salicifolia. This will help researchers to explore its therapeutic potential and examine future research possibilities. The chemical composition of this shrub comprises minerals, vitamins, flavonoids, flavonoid glycosides, polyunsaturated fatty acids, sugars, carotenoids, and nucleobases. Pharmacological studies demonstrated that the extracts prepared from leaves, barks, and berries along with fixed oil of this species are useful as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-depressant, anti-microbial, adaptogenic, and wound healing. The results of toxicity study of H. salicifolia extracts did not show any significant acute toxicity in experimental animals. Abundance of phenolic compounds, minerals, and fatty acids within the different parts of this plant prompted researchers to isolate and characterize the phytoconstituents which are responsible for its therapeutic uses.

Background: The plant species belonging to the genus Boerhavia (Nyctaginaceae) have been used extensively in ethnomedicine and Ayurveda in India. Raktapunarnava and Shweta punarnava are two of the species which find mention in various Ayurvedic formulations. Other species of Boerhavia, though not found in Indian system of medicine, do hold importance in ethnomedicine systems in India and other countries. Objective: Boerhavia being a polymorphic genus, has been treated as a single genus encompassing species belonging to a morphologically related genus Commicarpus also. Owing to this taxonomic quandary with regard to merger or separation of the two genera by different workers, there are different reports of the number of species belonging to the genus. This has further resulted in flawed reporting of ethnomedicinal as well as ethnopharmacological studies. The present review focuses on resolving any confusion in taxonomic treatment, to highlight the ethnomedicinal uses supported by ethnopharmcological data and the phytochemistry of Boerhavia and Commicarpus species found in India. Conclusion: In India four species of Boerhavia and two species belong to Commicarpus have been reported to occur. The literature survey revealed that except B. diffusa, no other species of Boerhavia has been explored in detail. This presents an opportunity to undertake research on Boerhavia species and find new phytochemicals with promising therapeutic effects.