Hypericum Perforatum Grass: Chemical Composition, Properties, Use
Hypericum perforatum grass is a valuable medicinal plant, since it contains a large number of various biologically active compounds, the most important of which are flavonoids (1.5-5%), naphthodianthrones, tannins (10-13%), aethereal oil (0.1-0.33%), etc. Preparations containing Hypericum perforatum have a complex effect on the body, they have an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidepressant, antiviral, hemostatic effect. Hypericum perforatum grass is used in the form of teas, apozems, water infusions, alcohol and oil tinctures, ointments, dry extracts. In veterinary medicine, infusions and decoctions of Hypericum perforatum grass are widely used in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: dyspeptic disorder, gastroenteritis, acute and chronic colitis (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, etc.), as well as in the treatment of mixed invasions. Infusions and tincture are also used externally for stomatitis, gingivitis, blennisthmia. Despite the above range of dosage forms of Hypericum perforatum, researches are actively conducted to optimize methods of extracting biologically active substances (BAS) from Hypericum perforatum grass. During the experiments, researchers vary various parameters of the extraction process: the chemical composition of extragents (monophasic and two-phase extraction), the time and temperature of the extractive process, the quantitative relation of raw materials to extragents, the dispersity of raw materials, the sequence of technological operations, the possibility of using radiation, etc. The development of new resource-saving technologies for processing Hypericum perforatum will help reduce the cost of pharmaceutical products and improve its pharmacological properties.