Comparative study of settings from wild species of steelworm

Introduction. In folk medicine in many countries of the world, the roots of field steelweed (Ononis arvensis L.), a genus of plants of the legume family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae) have long been used as a medicine. Modern research is aimed at determining the content of biologically active compounds (BACs) in closely related steelhead species. However, studies to determine the key BAS and compare their content in the grass and roots of wild steelhead (Ononis arvensis L.) and intermediate steelhead (Ononis intermedia L.), growing in the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, have not yet been carried out. In ethnomedicine, these types of steelweed are widely used in the form of tinctures, infusions and lotions obtained from the underground part of the plant. At the same time, the above-ground part of steelweed, which is an unclaimed waste during the harvesting of roots, according to the literature, is richer in BAS than the underground part.

The purpose of the work is a comparative study of tinctures from wild steelweed species.

Material and methods. Samples of tinctures made by maceration from the grass and roots of wild species of field steelweed (Ononis arvensis L.) and intermediate steelgrass (Ononis intermedia L.), growing in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, were studied. Tinctures were prepared in a ratio of 1:5 using 70% ethyl alcohol as an extractant. A comparison of the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the tincture samples was carried out in terms of dry residue, ethyl alcohol content, microbiological purity, and the quantitative content of BAS.

Results. The presence of total isoflavonoids (in terms of ononine), onocerin, total flavonoids (in terms of rutin), total phenolcarboxylic acids, and tannins was confirmed in the tincture samples. The studied samples of tinctures contain a qualitatively similar BAS complex. The total amount of extractives (dry residue) in tinctures is from 2.02% to 2.32%. The content of the sum of isoflavonoids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenylcarboxylic acids is significantly higher in tinctures from the roots of both types of steelhead than in tinctures from the grass of the field steelhead and intermediate.

Conclusions. The data obtained indicate the need for further research on the presence of individual BAS in preparations, belonging to classes such as isoflavonoids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenylcarboxylic acids.