In order to evaluate sustainable sources of high-quality pharmaceutical starting material, a comparative study of 135 samples of red vine leaves of different origin was conducted to determine flavonol, anthocyanin and polyphenol contents. Total flavonol content was found to be between 0.6 % and 3.5 %, anthocyanin content between 0.2 % and 1.45 % and polyphenol content between 4.6 % and 18.9 %. The results are discussed in view of published data on red vine leaf components. In order to define the optimum timeframe for collecting leaves without damaging their grape-bearing vines the ontogenetic development of red vine leaves constituents was studied. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods used for determining anthocyanins and flavonols in red vine leaves were validated and findings were compared to results produced by assays described in the French Pharmacopoeia. Whereas the correlation between conventional photometric and HPLC methods was satisfactory for anthocyanins, the correlation between the pharmacopoeia assay for total polyphenols and the HPLC analysis for flavonols was poor. As flavonol compounds are considered relevant for the vasoprotective effect of red vine leaves, their content in starting material used in the production of herbal medicines needs to be quantified.

Since 1998, new maté trees were identified in five plantations in Misiones, Argentina, through mass selection. Emphasis was put on capturing genes related to caffeine, theobromine, saponin, twig color, anthocyanin, waxiness, leaf chlorophyll, and leaf thickness, characteristics that influence maté leaf quality in the drinking vessel or in the bombilla. Subsequently, saponin content of maté leaves was positively correlated with leaf thickness, anthocyanin, waxiness, and leaf chlorophyll. Saponin content was negatively, though slightly, related to caffeine content. A cluster analysis was used to distinguish the desired quality ideotypes, retaining good variability of the origins among the quality R. Scherer groups. The major consumer categories proposed were Gaucho for traditional consumption, Tango for urban consumption and Middle-East as an alternative for green tea. Seed gardens were organized accordingly to ensure market quality.

Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), a plant well adapted to the desert conditions of the Kalahari in Southern Africa, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. The herb used is the sliced and dried secondary root tuber developing from the side roots of the succulent main root containing harpagoside as active ingredient. Because the herb is usually collected from the wild the harvesting method used in the past cannot sustain demand on the long term. Experiences of a project for cultivation and sustainable harvest of Harpagophytum in the Kalahari of South Africa paralleled by intensive ecological research will be presented. Methods were established to cultivate the plant and also to transfer gained knowledge to the local communities. The most important step is the training of harvesting methods in the collection of wildgrown tubers and how to avoid adulterants. The cultivation success was achieved by developing an environmentally suitable 'rain-feed system' on vegetation-free stripes and successful propagation methods. The main aim of a parallel Scientific Support Project in Ecology was to find out the optimum ecological conditions of Harpagophytum by research in eco-physiology as well as factors influencing yield of tubers and harpagoside contents.

No abstract

No abstract