Phytother Res. 2003 Jun; 17(6): 657-60.

HPLC fingerprinting and estimation of the bioactive components of Clutia richardiana L. as a potential hypoglycemic herbal tea.

Abourashed EA, Ganzera M, Khan IA, Khan S, Mossa JS, El-Feraly FS.

Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Clutia richardiana L. is a traditional medicinal herb with demonstrated hypoglycemic effects. An HPLC method (Luna((R)) C(18) column, gradient elution, UV detection at 220 nm) has been utilized to determine the levels of the major diterpenes of C. richardiana in extracts obtained by using three different solvents. Extraction with the organic solvents methanol and acetonitrile was more efficient than aqueous extraction with hot water, but nine markers could be detected equally in all extracts. The aqueous extract was non-toxic against a number of human cell lines, which is a promising indication for its use as a safe and effective antidiabetic herbal preparation.Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.