Phytochemical Screening of the Bioactive Compounds in the most Widespread Medicinal Plants From Calarasi - Silistra Cross - Border Area

Abstract

The cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants has a long tradition in the Calarasi – Silistra region. In this area, 81 species of medicinal and aromatic plants – from the cultivated and spontaneous flora – were identified as a result of a study we performed. Of those, 16 species were experimentally cultivated in two pilot cultures, one in Calarasi County and one in Silistra District, and were analyzed from the point of view of the active principles they contain. The following compound categories were identified during the study: amino acids, proteins, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, triterpenoids, glycosides, polysaccharides, vitamins A and E. The results of the study allowed the identification of species with a high content of active principles and led to recommendations for local cultivators of medicinal plants. A database was also created, containing information about the most common medicinal plants found in the area and their active principles content (www.medplanet.dbioro.eu).