Domestically Cultivated Echinacea Medicinal Quality Evaluation Studies

Echinacea, a well-known herbal medicine, which has been used for centuries in the Europe and the America, treats for the common cold, coughs, bronchitis, upper respiratory infections and some inflammatory on immunological properties.For the quality evaluation of the raw materials of Echinacea species cultivated in China, In order to search the active natural products, we began to study the chemical constituents from Echinacea species. By SFC, solvent extraction, column chromatography, prep HPLC and re-crystallization, three compounds were isolated and purified from Echinacea purpurea. On the basis of various modern spectral analysis(¹H-NMR,¹³C-NMR) and classical chemical methods structures of three compounds were isolated and identified as : the mixture of two stereo-isomers of alkamide and dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-tetraenoic acid isobutylamide. (I) and cichoric acid (II).Samples botanically from Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench., E. Angustifolia DC. and E. pallida (Nutt.) Nutt. were determined by the high performance liquid chromatographic methods for five marker compounds, including three caffeoyl conjugates, i.e. cichoric acid, echinacoside and chlorogenic acid, and two isomers of alkamide, i.e. dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-tetraenoic acid isobutylamide. There were differences in the contents of 5 marker compounds among the tested samples from the different production areas. In addition, we identified the Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench. samples by TLC and established the chromatographic fingerprints. The preparation process of Echinacea extracts was investigated by a systematic study. Furthermore the preparative method of Echinacea angustifolia DC extracts was investigated as well. The chemical assay of Echinacea extracts was done by HPLC determination of echinacoside . The results showed that the HPLC method is accurate and reliable.The results will provide a basis for the quality assessment and development of Echinacea species.