Supercritical fluid extraction represents an efficient and environmentally friendly technique for isolation of phytosterols from different plant sources. Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) seeds were extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide at pressures ranging from 15–60 MPa and temperatures of 40–80 °C. Oil and β-sitosterol yields were measured in the extraction course and compared with Soxhlet extraction with hexane. The average yield of β-sitosterol was 0.31 mg/g of seeds. The maximum concentration of β-sitosterol in the extract, 0.5% w/w, was achieved at 15 MPa, 40 °C, and a carbon dioxide consumption of 50 g/g of seeds. The extraction rate was maximal at 60 MPa and 40 °C. Both β-sitosterol yield and its concentration in the extract obtained with hexane were lower than with carbon dioxide.

No abstract

This review is devoted to adaptogens, plant products capable of producing nonspecific responses in the human body, resulting in increasing the resistance against multiple stressors (physical, chemical or biological) and capable of having a normalizing effect to the human body. Adaptogens must be non-toxic, harmless, capable of not influencing normal body functions more than required, and capable of treating depression, a common neuropsychiatric illness, the importance of which is increasing by number of new patients every year. Number of plants are able to produce natural compounds, which meet the criteria of becoming adaptogens. The most known of them are used in traditional medicine for centuries.

No abstract