Identification and quantitative determination of Luteolin and Apigenin in the aerial parts and an extract of Stachys lavandulifolia by HPLC

Stachys lavandulifolia is among the species that is used for immune disorders, applied topically, or taken orally as an herbal tea. The plant is also used for stomachache, anodyne, labor, and spasm. According to the results of a pharmacological survey, the extract of Stachys lavandulifolia from the aerial parts has shown to be effective in the improvement of patients suffering from anxiety disorders. Apigenin has been reported to bear anxiolytic and CNS-depressant effects. Therefore, a suitable extract of the plant aerial parts was prepared and clinically evaluated. Then the active constituents in the extract were identified and quantified by HPLC. The chemical composition of the plant has not yet been reported in scientific journals. The amounts of Apigenin and Luteolin in the hydroalcoholic extract (2:1) were reported as 0.127 and 0.033 percent (w/w) respectively. The amounts of Apigenin and Luteolin in the dried aqueous extract were 0.106 and 0.416 percent (w/w), and in the aerial parts were 0.048 and 0.152 percent (w/w) respectively. In this study, a suitable hydroalcoholic extract from the plants aerial parts was prepared by percolation. The extract contained 31.3 percent (w/w) of dried materials. Apigenin and Luteolin in the extract were identified with comparison to the standard materials by HPLC. When compared to the plant aerial parts, and dried aqueous extracts; the hydroalcoholic extract contained the highest amount of Apigenin and the lowest amount of Luteolin. Therefore, the hydroalcoholic extract gives the impression to be more effective in improving the patients suffering from anxiety disorders when taken orally in the form of oral drops.