Preliminary phytochemical and physicochemical study of Cuscuta chinensis L. aqueous extract

Introduction: Cuscuta chinensis L. is a widely used medicinal plant with little data on its standardization. This study aims to contribute to the efficiency and safety of its use by preliminary investigation on its physicochemical and phytochemical characteristics. Method: The extract was concentrated at low temperature to prepare a dry powder. Sensory evaluation was used to determine the organoleptic characteristics. Then the percentage of total ash, ash insoluble in acid and dry residue was measured by Pharmacopeia method. Total phenol and total flavonoid content as well as rutin content were measured by HPLC spectroscopic methods. The total number of microbes and the presence of the main pathogens were also investigated. Findings: The dried aqueous extract of Cussuta chinensis was a powder with a brown color, herbal odor, the amounts of total ash and acid insoluble ash were28.16, 9.1%, respectively, and the amount of dry residue was 05.7%. The amount of total phenol content was 55.61 ± 9.02 mg Gallic acid/g and the amount of total flavonoid was 25.27 ± 1.2 mg Catechin/g. The total number of live bacteria, fungi, and yeast was less than 10 cfu/ml, and the sample did not contain the main pathogens under investigation. Conclusion: The results of this study provide data on some physicochemical properties of Cuscuta chinensis extract that were not available in other resources. However, in order to achieve accurate standardization criteria, more information is needed, which can be obtained from more extensive research.