Measuring and optimising umckalin concentration in wild-harvested and cultivated Pelargonium sidoides (Geraniaceae)

Pelargonium sidoides DC. (Geraniaceae) root extracts are used locally and globally as herbal medicines. Subsequently, high levels of wild root harvest in the years preceding this study, to supply international demand for raw materials, prompted this investigation of the prospects for sustainable roo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African journal of botany 2008-04, Vol.74 (2), p.260-267
Main Authors: White, A.G., Davies-Coleman, M.T., Ripley, B.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conservation
Coumarin
Cultivation
EPs 7630
Pelargonium sidoides
Umckalin
Umckaloabo
Wild harvest
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Summary:Pelargonium sidoides DC. (Geraniaceae) root extracts are used locally and globally as herbal medicines. Subsequently, high levels of wild root harvest in the years preceding this study, to supply international demand for raw materials, prompted this investigation of the prospects for sustainable root harvest through wild collection and greenhouse cultivation. A novel method was developed for the purification of umckalin, a bioactive constituent in root extracts, such that the root umckalin concentrations of wild and cultivated plants could be quantified by HPLC. A geographical survey of wild plants revealed that root umckalin concentrations were inversely related to the average annual rainfall of the collection site (r2=0.43, p
ISSN:0254-6299
1727-9321
DOI:10.1016/j.sajb.2007.11.015