Application of thin-layer chromatography for the quality control and screening the free radical scavenging activity of selected pharmacuetical preparations containing Salvia officinalis L. extract.

Thin-layer chromatographic method, with postchromatographic derivatization, was applied for the purposes of the quality control of pharmaceutical preparations, containing S. officinalis L. extract. Six finished products underwent the analysis: capsules, tablets, two ointments, tincture and finished product being a mixture of ethanolic S. officinalis and Thymi vulgaris extracts. Chromatographic and free radical scavenging fingerprints, obtained for the herbal products, were compared with the profiles of the authenticated botanical reference material. The application of the proposed technique revealed most of the fingerprints, developed for the analyzed preparations, matched with the profiles obtained for authenticated plant material. The developed method was found suitable for the quality control of herbal preparations containing sage extract.