North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) oil was saponifed and the unsaponifiable matter trimethylsilylated. The phytosterol fraction of hexane-extracted, air-dried seed was quantified and identified by GC and GC-MS. Phytosterol contents (milligrams per 100 g of oil) were as follows: squalene (514-569), oxidosqualene (8.97-48.2), campesterol (9.96-12.4), stigmasterol (93.2-113), clerosterol (1.91-2.14), beta-sitosterol (153-186), beta-amyrin (11.7-19.5), delta(5)-avenasterol (12.4-20.5), delta(5,24(25))-stigmasterol (3.70-.76), lupeol (14.4-15.2), delta(7)-sitosterol (12.5-14.6), delta(7)-avenasterol (4.11-8.09), 24-methylenecycloartanol (1.94-4.76), and citrostadienol (2.50-3.81). Seed stratification lowered the phytosterol levels. Oven-drying gave mixed results, and phytosterols varied slightly between the 1999 and 2000 harvests.

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a multipurpose, hardy, deciduous shrub, an ideal plant for soil erosion control, land reclamation, wildlife habitat enhancement, and farmstead protection. It has high nutritional and medicinal values for humans. The majority of sea buckthorn research has been conducted in Asia and Europe. It is a promising new crop for North America, and recently it has attracted considerable attention by researchers, producers, and industry.

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Echinacea species, a popular medicinal herb throughout the world, have been used by indigenous Americans for hundreds of years as an effective immunostimulant. The cultivated acreage in the United States and Canada is increasing because of the great demand for Echinacea products. Better cultural methods and standardization and quality control of the value-added products are needed to increase the confidence of growers, producers, and consumers in this promising medicinal herb. Echinacea can be propagated from seed, crown division, and root sections. Seed stratification for 4 to 6 weeks at 34 to 40 °F (1 to 4 °C) before planting can improve germination. Echinacea thrives under cultivation in moderately rich and well-drained loam or sandy loam soil with regular irrigation and weed control. Roots are harvested in the fall after 3 to 4 years of cultivation. The best stage to harvest flowers has yet to be determined. Leaves are a source of valuable active ingredients, but no information is available in the literature on leaf harvesting. Active ingredients in Echinacea include polysaccharides, flavonoids, caffeic acid derivatives, essential oils, polyacetylenes, and alkylamides.

No abstract