Chemical components of the Ephedra major from Iran.

Aghdasi, M.; Mofid Bojnoordi, M.; Mianabadi, M.; Nadaf, M.

Ephedrais a dioecious shrub that belongs to the Ephedraceae family of gymnosperms. Almost all commercial applications ofEphedraextracts are derived from the ephedrine alkaloids found in the evergreen stems. The purpose of this study was to compare chemical components (total alkaloid, ephedrine, total phenol, total flavonoid and tannin) ofEphedra majorplants during May to October months. The seeds and stems were collected from Bojnoord altitudes in east of Iran. Total alkaloid was separated by solvent and soxhelet extraction method. The results revealed that solvent extraction method is more efficient than soxhelet extraction method. The measurement of chemical components showed significant difference during May to October months. Data from HPLC analysis revealed that while root is depleted of ephedrine, the ephedrine amount in stem organ ranged from 1.50 ± 0.15 to 2.12 ± 0.01 mg/g dry weight. The results indicate thatE. majorcan be as a suitable source of ephedrine.

Natural Product Research, 2016, Vol 30, Issue 3, p369

1478-6419

Academic Journal

10.1080/14786419.2015.1058794