Extracts of the plant Echinacea purpurea are widely used for medicinal purposes. Effective quality control of these extracts requires rapid methods to determine their chemical composition. A new method for analysis of caffeic acid derivatives and alkamides from Echinacea extracts has been developed. With this method, isomeric isobutylamides and 2-methylbutylamides can be distinguished, a capabi...

Title:Antiplasmodial activity of solvent fractions of methanolic root extract of Dodonaea angustifolia in Plasmodium berghei infected mice

INTRODUCTION When directly exposed to various echinacea fractions, human leukocytes ex vivo are strongly stimulated to proliferate and to produce immunostimulation and inflammatory cytokines. A comparison of fractions containing lipoidal small molecules and high-molecular-weight water-soluble polysaccharides indicates that the latter are substantially more potent as immunostimulants. Echinacea ...

Background & Aim: Hydroxycinnamic acids are one of the most important bioactive substances of Echinacea drugs. These compounds possess immuno-enhancing activity and thus, total hydroxycinnamic acids are mostly used as the main criterion for quality control of Echinacea purpurea and its drugs.  Hence, the quality control of Echinacea requires to develo...

Over the past century, various synthetic approaches have been suggested to the most famous dye of antiquity, Tyrian purple (6,6'-dibromoindigo). These synthetic routes have been exhaustively surveyed and critically evaluated from the perspective of convenience, cost, safety and yield.

Background Dodeca-2E,4E,8E,10E/Z-tetraenoic acid isobutylamides are the main alkamides in Echinacea preparations, which have been demonstrated to possess biological activities in various bio-assays, such as immune-modulating activities and effects on cannabinoid receptors [1]. Therefore, the evaluation of systemic availability of these active plant constituents is a major prerequisite for the i...