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Herbs and medical plant material that contain essential oils ( sesquiterpene lactones and aromatic compounds). Volatile oils (VO) are miscellaneous volatile organic compounds which are produced in plants and cause their specific odour.
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Herbs and medical plant material that contain essential oils (sesquiterpene lactones and aromatic compounds)
Volatile oils (VO) are miscellaneous volatile organic compounds which are produced in plants and cause their specific odour. • They differ entirely in both chemical and physical properties from fixed oils. VO can be distilled from their natural sources; they do not consist of glyceryl esters of fatty acids. Hence, they do not leave a permanent grease spot on paper and cannot be saponified with alkalies. VO do not become rancid as do the fixed oils, but instead, on exposure to light and air, they oxidize and resinify.
Chamomillae flores - German chamomile flowers, Romanae chamomillae flos – Roman chamomile EuPh (P. 1487) Chamomilla recutita L. (Matricaria chamomilla L.) - German ChamomileChamaemelum nobile L. – Rpman chamomileFamily - Asteraceae Description. Flos Chamomillae consists of conical flower heads, each bearing a few white ligulate florets and numerous yellowish orange to pale yellow tubular or disk florets on conical, narrow hollow receptacles with a short peduncle; disk florets are perfect and without a pappus, ray florets are pistillate, white, 3-toothed and 4-veined; involucre is hemispherical composed of 20-30 imbricate, oblanceolate and pubescent scales; peduncles are weak brown to dusty greenish yellow, longitudinally furrowed, more or less twisted and up to 2,5 cm long. The odour is pleasent, aromatic and slighty bitter.
Constituents. Minium 7 ml/kg essential oil (dried drug) of a blue colour due to Chamazulene (1-15 %). Chamazulene is formed from matricin during steam distillation of th Chamazulene eoil. Chamazulene Matricin Other major constituents include α-bisabolol and related sesquiterpenes (up to 50 % of the oil). (+) - α-bisabolol bisabolol oxide A Apigenin and related flavonoid glycosides constitute up to 8 %% (dry weight) of the drug. It contains also amino acids, anthemic acid (biter), coumarins, acetylenes , choline, polysaccharide, fatty acids, tannin.
IDENTIFICATION • Macroscopic analysis • Microscopic analisis • All parts of the flower-heads are covered with numerous small yellow glistening glandular trichomes. The involucral bracts and paleae have epidermal cells in • longitudinal rows, sclerified at the base and they are covered with conical trichomes, about 500 μmlong,each composed of 3-4 very short base cells and a long, bent, terminal cell about 20 μm wide. • The corolla of the ligulate flowers consists of papillary cells with cuticular • striations. The ovaries of both kinds of florets have at their base a sclerous ring consisting of a single row of cells. The receptacle and the ovaries contain small clusters of calcium oxalate. The pollen grains have a diameter of about 35 μm and are rounded or triangular with 3 germinal pores and a spiny exine. • C. TLC • Presence of the apigenin and apigenin-7-glucoside • TESTS • Diameter of the flower-heads: maximum 3 per cent of flower-heads have a diameter smaller than 8 mm. • Deteriorated flower-heads: brown or darkened flower-heads are absent. • Loss on drying (2.2.32) : maximum 11.0 per cent, determined on 1.000 g of the powdered drug (355) (2.9.12) by drying in an oven at 105 °C for 2 h.
Total ash (2.4.16) : maximum 8.0 per cent. ASSAY Carry out the determination of essential oils in herbal drugs (2.8.12). Use 20.0 g of whole drug, a 500 ml round-bottomed flask, 250 ml of water R as the distillation liquid and 0.50 ml of xylene R in the graduated tube. Distil at a rate of 3-3.5 ml/min for 3 h. Uses. German chamomile is stated to possess anti-inflammatory, carminative, antispasmodic, mild sedative, antiseptic and anticatarrhal properties. Symptomatic treatment of digestive ailment such as dyspepsia, epigastric bloating, impaired digestion, and flatulence. Internally- symptomatic treatment of digestive ailment such as dyspepsia, epigastric bloating, impaired digestion, and flatulence. Infusions of chamomile flowers have been used in the treatment of restlessness and mild cases of insomnia due to nervous disorders. Externally- inflammation and irritation of the skin and mucosa (skin cracks, bruises, frostbites and insect bites, including irritations and infections of the mouth and gums, and haemorrhoids).
Carminative, cholagogic, hypoglycemicspecies The drug increases the secretion of gastric juice improves the digestion process. Shows anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and vitrohinnu action.hypoglycemic
Inulae rhizomata et radices –Elecampane rhizome and root Inula helenium - Inula, Elecampane, Alant, Yellow StarwortFamily - Asteraceae • Habitat. Europe and Asia, along roadsides and in damp pasture land. • Constituents. 1 to 4% volatile oil, mainly sesquiterpene lactones, including alantolactone, isolactone and dihydroalantolactone (eudesmanolides), alantic and azulene. • The mixture of alantolactone is also known as helenin or elecampane camphor. • Triterpenoids , as well as sterols and up to 44 % carbohydrates (inulin) are also present Alantolactone
Uses. The antiseptic expectorant in bronchial catarrh, whooping cough (and irritating cough), and bronchits. Elecampane are used for complaints and problems affecting the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, as well as the kidney and lower urinary tract. It is active constituent, helenin, has been employed as an antiseptic and bactericide in pulmonary diseases. Alantolactone is an anthelmintic remedy. Alanton is used to treat peptic ulcers. In folk medicine, the drug, is used as a stomatic, carminative, and cholagogue (bitter substances), as well as a diuretic, vermifuge and in menstrual complaints.
Absinthii Herba – Wormwood herb EuPh (P. 3228)Artemisia absinthium L. - Wormwood, AbsinthFamily - Asteraceae • Geographical distribution. Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. • Constituents. 0,2-1,5 % volotile oil. The bitter compounds (0,15-0,4 %) is sesquiterpnoid lactone absinthin, matricin. Essential oils components (up to 40 %): thujone, tujol, sabinil acetate, ocimene. The drug also contains tannic acid, resin, etc.
IDENTIFICATION A. The leaves are greyish or greenish, densely tomentose on both surfaces. The basal leaves, with long petioles, have triangular or oval bipinnatisect or tripinnatisect lamina, with rounded or lanceolate segments. The cauline leaves are less segmented and the apical leaves are lanceolate. The stem of the flower-bearing region is greenish-grey, tomentose, up to 2.5 mm in diameter and usually with 5 flattened longitudinal grooves. The capitula are arranged as loose, axillary panicles, inserted at the level of the lanceolate to slightly pinnatisect leaves; they are spherical to flattened hemispherical, 2-4 mm in diameter and consist of a grey, tomentose involucre, the outer bracts linear, inner layer ovate, blunt at the apices with scarious margins, a receptacle with very long paleae up to 1 mm or more long, numerous yellow, tubular, hermaphroditic florets about 2 mm long and few yellow, ray florets. B. Diagnostic characters : many T-shaped trichomes with a short uniseriate stalk consisting of 1-5 small cells, perpendicularly capped by a very long, undulating terminal cell tapering at the ends; fragments of epidermises with sinuous or wavy walls, anomocytic stomata (2.8.3) and secretory trichomes each with a short, biseriate, 2 celled stalk and a biseriate head with 2-4 cells ; fragments of the tubular and ray florets, some containing small cluster crystals of calcium oxalate ; numerous paleae each composed of a small cell forming a stalk and a very long, cylindrical and thin-walled terminal cell about 1-1.5 mm long; spheroidal pollen grains, about 30 μm in diameter, with 3 pores and a finely warty exine ; groups of fibres, small vessels with spiral and annular thickening, larger vessels with bordered pits and parenchyma with moderately thickened and pitted walls, from the stem.
C. TLC Absintin TESTS Foreign matter (2.8.2) : maximum 5 per cent of stems with a diameter greater than 4 mm and maximum 2 per cent of other foreign matter. Bitterness value (2.8.15) : minimum 10 000. Loss on drying (2.2.32) : maximum 10.0 per cent, determined on 1.000 g of powdered drug (355) (2.9.12) by drying in an oven at 105 °C for 2 h. Total ash (2.4.16) : maximum 12.0 per cent. Ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid (2.8.1) : maximum 1.0 per cent. ASSAY minimum 2 ml/kg of essential oil Carry out the determination of essential oil in herbal drugs (2.8.12). Use 50.0 g of the cut drug, a 1000 ml round-bottomed flask and 500 ml of water R as the distillation liquid. Add 0.5 ml of xylene R in the graduated tube. Distil at a rate of 2-3 ml/min for not less than 3 h. Uses. Aromatic bitter to stimulate appetite, for gastrointestinal complaints, diaphoretic and flavouring agent. Medicines: bitter tincture, tincture, appetising and cholagogue herbal collections.
MillefoliiHerba – Yarrow herb, EuPh (P.3243)Achilleamillefolium L.- Yarrow, Milfoil, Thousand-leafFamily - Asteraceae • Habitate. North America, Europe and Asia. • Constituents. VO is minimum 2 ml/kg , proazulenes, expressed as chamazulene: minimum 0,02 %. Numerous identified components include borneol, bornyl acetate, camphor, 1,8-cineole, eucalyptol, limonene, sabinene, terpinen-4-ol, terpineol and α-thujone, caryophyllene, achillicin, achillin, millefin (sesquiterpenelactone), azulene and chamazulene (sesquiterpenelactone-derived) and isoartemisiaketone. The azulene are not present in fresh herb: they are formed as artefects during steam distillation of the oil, from unstable precursors called proazulenes. • Amino acids, fatty acids, organic acids, caffeic acids, folic acids, resinous, bitter substance called iwin, tannins, flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin) etc.
IDENTIFICATION A. The leaves are green or greyish-green, faintly pubescent on the upper surface and more pubescent on the lower surface, 2-3 pinnately divided with linear lobes and a finely pointed whitish tip. The capitula are arranged in a corymb at the end of the stem. Each capitulum, 3-5 mm in diameter, consists of the receptacle, usually 4-5 ligulate ray-florets and 3-20 tubular disk-florets. The involucre consists of 3 rows of imbricate lanceolate, pubescent green bracts arranged with a brownish or whitish, membranous margin. The receptacle is slightly convex and, in the axillae of paleae, bears a ligulate ray floret with a three-lobed, whitish or reddish ligule and tubular disk-florets with a radial, five-lobed, yellowish or light brownish corolla. The pubescent green, partly brown or violet stems are longitudinally furrowed, up to 3 mm thick with a light-coloured medulla. B. Reduce to a powder (355) (2.9.12). The powder is green or greyish-green. Examine under a microscope, using chloral hydrate solution R. The powder shows the following diagnostic characters : fragments of the stems, leaves and bracts bearing very rare glandular trichomes with a short stalk and a head formed of 2 rows of 3-5 cells enclosed in a bladder-like membrane and uniseriate covering trichomes consisting of 4-6 small, more or less isodiametric cells at the base and a thick-walled, often somewhat tortuous terminal cell, about 400 μm to greater than 1000 μm long; fragments of the ligulate corolla with papillary epidermal cells ; small-celled parenchyma from the corolla tubes containing cluster crystals of calcium oxalate ; groups of lignified and pitted cells from the bracts ; spherical pollen grains, about 30 μm in diameter.
C. To 2.0 g of the powdered drug (710) (2.9.12) add 25 ml of ethyl acetate R, shake for 5 min and filter. Evaporate to dryness on a water-bath and dissolve the residue in 0.5 ml of toluene R (solution A). To 0.1 ml of this solution add 2.5 ml of dimethylaminobenzaldehyde solution R8 and heat on a water-bath for 2 min. Allow to cool. Add 5 ml of light petroleum R and shake the mixture vigorously. The aqueous layer shows a blue or greenish-blue colour. D. TLC Test solution. Use solution A prepared in identification test C. Reference solution. Dissolve 10 mg of cineole R and 10 mg of guaiazulene R in 20 ml of toluene R. TESTS Foreign matter (2.8.2) : maximum 5 per cent of stems with a diameter greater than 3 mm and maximum 2 per cent of other foreign matter. Loss on drying (2.2.32) : maximum 12.0 per cent, determined on 0.500 g of powdered drug (355) (2.9.12) by drying in an oven at 105 °C for 2 h. Total ash (2.4.16) : maximum 10.0 per cent. Ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid (2.8.1) : maximum 2.5 per cent. ASSAY Essential oil. Carry out the determination of essential oils in herbal drugs (2.8.12).
Proazulenes. To ensure that as little water as possible is transferred, transfer the blue essential oil-xylene mixture obtained in the assay of essential oil into a 50 ml volumetric flask with the aid of small portions of xylene R, rinsing the graduated tube of the apparatus with xylene R and dilute to 50.0 ml with the same solvent. Measure the absorbance (2.2.25) at 608 nm using xylene R as the compensation liquid. Calculate the percentage content of proazulenes, expressed as chamazulene, using the following expression : i.e. taking the specific absorbance of chamazulene to be 23.8. A = absorbance at 608 nm; m = mass of the drug to be examined, in grams. Uses. Yarrowis stated to possess stomatic , carminative and cholagogue, diaphoretic, astrigent, diuretic and urinary antiseptic properties. Armatic bitter, diaphoretic and emmenagogue. Medicines- rotocan, vundekhil, appetising, laxative, hypotensive collections, tincture, liquid extract. Ungentum Vundehin. Rotocan.
Arnicae Flores - Arnica flowerArnica montana- Arnica, EuPhAsteraceae • Habitat.Mountains and meadows of Europe. • Constituents. Contains up to 0,8% of sesquiterpene lactones- the main is helenalin, 11,13-dihydrohelenalin d their esters with organic acids. In 1970 from leaves and flower heads of arnica arnifolin was extracted, it has tonic action on womb muscles. Ether oil has a golden colour. • Uses. Medicines have haemostatic, cholagogue, antisclerotic, irritating and bacteriostatic action. In high amounts remedies have sedative properties. Tincture and infusion are used externally to treat skin disorders, trophic ulcers, burns and frostbites.
AnisivulgarisFructus - AnisiOleumAnisumvulgare- AniseApiaceae • Habitat. Asia Minor, Greece and Egypt, Southern Ukraine. • Constituents. Up to 6% of volatile oil containing anethol; fixed oils, etc. • Uses. Stimulant, carminative and flavouring agent. Medicines also have expectorant, antiseptic, bactericide and antispasmodic actions. Fruits are part of stomach and ches collections, oil- part of chest elixir, ammonia-anise drops, dry mixture from cough, Traskov’s mixture (antiasthmatic properties), and remedies- anitos, altalex, strepsils-original, etc.
FoeniculiFructusFoeniculiOleumFoeniculumvulgare- FennelApiaceae • Habitat. Southern Europe and Asia Minor. • Constituents. Up to 6.5% of OleumFoeniculi containing anethol and fenchone, anise ether, anise acid, fixed oils, etc. • Uses. Medicines usually have carminative, spasmolitic, secretolitic and light sedative actions. Fruits are part of Carminative, Sedative and Laxative collections, ether oil- part of the fennel water, altalex drops, Traskov’s mixture.
SerpylliHerba – wild thyme herbThymus serpyllum-Wild thyme, creeping thymeLamiaceae • Habitat. Europe and Northern Asia. Naturalised in eastern North America, and growing on fields. • Constituents. From 0.15 to 0.6% of VO containing carvacrol and cymene, bitter principles, tannins, etc. • Uses. Wild Thyme is employed as an antispasmodic in the treatment of whooping-cough, dry nervous asthma, severe spasms with little sputum and other respiratory inflammations, either in the form of fluid extract, tincture or syrup. Thymus serpyllum is ingredient of pertussin, anitos.
ThymiHerbaThymiOleumThymus vulgarisLamiaceae • Habitat.Southern Europe. • Constituents. VO, about 2.5%, containing thymol, carvacrol, thymine, cymene and l-pinene; tannins, etc. • Uses. Antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant, and condiment; an ingredient in poultry dressing, in the flavouring of meat and fish dishes and soups. Preparations: thyme fluid extract, thyme syrup.
Thymol is a phenol occurring in large colourless, transparent crystals or as a white powder having a thyme odour and a pungent taste. It is used as an anthelmintic ( for hook worm), as an antiseptic and deodorant in mouth washes and gargles and occasionally as an intestinal antiseptic. The average daily dose as anthelmintic is 2g. divided into 3 doses. Thyme oil is a VO distilled from the flowering plant of Thymus vulgaris. It is a colourless, yellow or red liquid. Actions- stimulant, carminative and antiseptic. Oil is part of camistad-gel (used in dental practice). Herb extract is ingredient in pertussin, efkamon and pinosol.
OriganiHerbaOriganumvulgare-Pot majoram, wild majoramLamiaceae • Constituents. VO contain carvacrol, thymol, free alcohol and ester. • Uses. The dried herb is used as a condiment in flavouring of salads, in the treatment of whooping-cough and other respiratory inflammations. Has cholagogue, diuretic and diaphoretic actions, stimulates indigestion, extract is part of urolesan which has litholitic properties.
To treat the kidney stones and gallstones, urinary diathesis, acute and subacute calculous pyelonephritis and chronic cholecystitis, biliary dyskinesia