Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T16:11:51.518Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pre- and post-harvest processing of medicinal plants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

Hakibu Tanko ,
Danielle Julie Carrier ,
Lijun Duan  and
Ed Clausen
Hakibu Tanko
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 5A9
Danielle Julie Carrier*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of Arkansas, 203 Engineering Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Lijun Duan
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Ed Clausen
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
*
*Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Herbal medicine is used worldwide either as a sole treatment method or as part of a comprehensive treatment plan alongside orthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment. A survey reported that, in the USA, nearly one-sixth of women took at least one herbal product in 2000. Despite their widespread use, numerous reports show that the herbal products available to consumers are of variable quality. This disparity in quality of herbal preparations can be attributed to the fact that their production is complicated. To produce high-quality herbal products, attention must be paid to, among others, phytochemical variations due to plant breed, organ specificity, stages of growth, cultivation parameters, contamination by microbial and chemical agents, substitution, adulteration with synthetic drugs, heavy metal contamination, storage and extraction. This review focuses on organ specificity, seasonal variations, the effect of drying and storage, and the extraction of phytochemical constituents. Special emphasis is placed on the four most frequently used herbal products in the USA: echinacea, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng and St John's Wort.

Keywords

dryingechinaceaextractingGinkgo bilobaginsengherbal productsmedicinal plantsSt John's Wortstoring
Type
Research Article
Information
Plant Genetic Resources , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , August 2005 , pp. 304 - 313
Copyright
Copyright © NIAB 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abo, K and Adeyemi, K (2002) Seasonal accumulation of anthraquinones in leaves of cultivated Cassia podocarpa Guill et Perr. African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences 31: 171–173.Google ScholarPubMed
Assinewe, V, Baum, B, Gagnon, D and Arnason, J (2003) Phytochemistry of wild populations of Panax quinquefolius L. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51: 4549–4553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bauer, R and Wagner, H (1991) Echinacea species as potential immunostimulatory drugs. Economic and Medicinal Plant Resource 5: 253–321.Google Scholar
Benthin, B, Danz, H and Hamnurger, M (1999) Pressurized liquid extraction of medicinal plants. Journal of Chromatography A 837: 211–219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berti, M, Wilckens, R, Fischer, S and Hevia, F (2002) Effect of harvest season, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium on root yield, echinacoside and alkylamides in Echinacea angustifolia L. in Chile. Acta Horticulturae 576: 303–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brachet, A, Rudaz, S, Mateus, L, Christen, P and Veuthey, JL (2001) Optimization of accelerated solvent extraction of cocaine and benzoylecgonine from coca leaves. Journal of Separation Science 24: 856–873.3.0.CO;2-U>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cai, T, Chen, F and Qi, J (2004) Dehydrated oriental mushrooms, leafy vegetables, and food preparation herbs and condiments. In: Hui, YH, Ghazala, S, Graham, DH, Murrell, KD, Nip, WK (eds) Handbook of Vegetable Preservation and Processing, New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 373–393.Google Scholar
Carrier, DJ, Crowe, T, Sokhansanj, S, Katrusiak, A, Wahab, J and Barl, B (2002) Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) flower head development and associated marker compound profile. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 10(1) 65–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catchpole, O, Perry, N da, Silva, B, Grey, J and Smallfield, B (2002) Supercritical extraction of herbs I: Saw Palmetto, St John's Wort, Kava root and Echinacea. Journal of Supercritical Fluids 22: 129–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, F, Wu, A, Chen, C (2004) The influence of different treatments on the free radical scavenging activity of burdock and variations of its active components. Food Chemistry 86: 479–484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheung, C, Leung, A and Ang, P (1998) Comparison of supercritical carbon dioxide and Soxhlet extraction of lipids from brown seaweed Sargassum hemiphyllum. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 46: 4228–4232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, M, Chan, K, Leung, H and Huie, C (2003) Pressurized liquid extraction of active ingredients (Ginsenosides) from medicinal plants using non-ionic surfactant solutions. Journal of Chromatography A 983: 153–162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
D'Andrea, L (2002) Variation of morphology, yield and essential oil components in common chamomile (Chamomilla recutita L. Rauschert) cultivars grown in southern Italy. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 9: 359–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davidson, V, Li, X, Brown, R (2004) Forced-air drying of ginseng root: 1. Effects of air temperature on quality. Journal of Food Engineering 63: 361–367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Lourdes, M, Moraes, L, Viegas, J and Lancas, F (1997) Supercritical fluid extraction of glycosylated flavonoids from passiflora leaves. Phytochemical Analysis 8: 257–260.Google Scholar
Downs, S and Compton, E (1955) Crop drying with heated air. Agricultural Engineering 36: 90–92.Google Scholar
Duan, L, Carrier, DJ and Clausen, E (2004) Extraction of health beneficial compounds from milk thistle using hot/liquid water. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 114: 559–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fong, H (2002) Integration of herbal medicine into modern medical practices: issues and prospects. Integrative Cancer Therapies 1: 287–293.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gafner, S, Bergeron, C, McColom, M, Cooper, L, McPhail, K, Gerwick, W and Angerhofer, C (2004) Evaluation of the efficiency of three different solvent systems to extract triterpene saponins from roots of Panax quinquefolius using HPLC. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 52: 1546–1550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ge, Y, Yan, H, Hui, B, Ni, Y, Wang, S and Cai, T (2002) Extraction of natural vitamin E from wheat germ by supercritical carbon dioxide. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 685–689.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilroy, C, Steiner, J, Byers, T, Shapiro, H and Georgian, W (2003) Echinacea and quality control. Archives of Internal Medicine 163: 699–794.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, D, Pallardy, S, Garett, H and Rottinghaus, G (2003 a) Acute drought stress and plant age effects on alkamide and phenolic acid content in purple coneflower roots. Planta Medica 69: 50–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gray, D, Pallardy, S, Garett, H and Rottinghaus, G (2003 b) Effect of acute drought stress and time of harvest on phytochemistry and dry weight of St John's Wort leaves and flowers. Planta Medica 69: 1024–1030.Google ScholarPubMed
Harkey, M, Henderson, G, Gershwin, E, Stern, J and Hackman, R (2001) Variability in commercial ginseng products: an analysis of 25 preparations. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 73: 1101–1106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawthorne, S, Grabanski, C, Martin, E and Miller, D (2000) Comparisons of Soxhlet extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction and subcritical water extraction for environmental solids recovery, selectivity and effects on sample matrix. Journal of Chromatography A 892: 421–443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heptinstall, S, Awang, D, Dowson, B, Kindack, D, Knight, D and May, J (1992) Parthenolide content and bioactivity of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz-bip.). Estimation of commercial and authenticated feverfew products. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 44: 391–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hevia, F, Berti, M, Wilckens, R and Cifuentes, P (2002 a) Quality and yield in St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) harvested in different phonological stages. Acta Agronomica Hungarica 50: 349–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hevia, F, Melin, P, Berti, M, Fischer, S and Pinochet, C (2002 b) Effects of drying temperature and air speed on cichoric acid and alkylamide content of Echinacea purpurea. Acta Horticulturae 576: 321–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ibañez, E, Kubátová, A, Señoráns, F, Cavero, S, Reglero, G and Hawthorne, S (2003) Subcritical water extraction of antioxidant compounds from rosemary plants. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51: 375–382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kabganian, R, Carrier, DJ, Rose, P, Abrams, S and Sokhansanj, S (2002 a) Localization of alkamides, echinacoside and cynarin in Echinacea angustifolia Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 10(2), 73–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kabganian, R, Carrier, DJ and Sokhansanj, S (2002 b) Drying of Echinacea angustifolia roots. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 10: 11–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawamura, F, Kikuchi, Y, Ohira, T and Yatagai, M (1999) Accelerated solvent extraction of paclitaxel and related compounds from the bark of Taxus cuspidate. Journal of Natural Products 62: 244–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khalid, Q, Sultana, L, Basit, N, Mahmood, I, Siddiqui, M and Beg, M (1988) Studies on preservation of herbal medicines by treatment with hydrogen phosphide. Pakistan Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research 31: 837–841.Google Scholar
Kubatova, A, Lagadec, A, Miller, D and Hawthorne, S (2001) Selective extraction of oxygenates from savory and peppermint using subcritical water. Flavor and Fragrance Journal 16: 64–73.3.0.CO;2-D>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laughlin, J (2002) Post-harvest drying treatment effects on antimalarial constituents of Artemisia annua L. Acta Horticulturae 576: 321–325.Google Scholar
Letchamo, W, Livesey, J, Arnason, T, Bergeron, C and Krutilina, V (1999) Cichoric acid and isobutylamide content in Echinacea purpurea as influenced by flower developmental stages. In: Janick, JPerspectives on New Crops and New Uses. Alexandria, VA: ASHS Press, pp. 494–498.Google Scholar
Li, T and Wardle, D (2001) Effects of root drying temperature and moisture content on the levels of active ingredients in Echinacea roots. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 8: 15–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, T, Mazza, G, Cottrell, A and Gao, L (1996) Ginsenosides in roots and leaves of American ginseng. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 44: 717–720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y and Morey, V (1987) Thin-layer drying rates and quality of cultivated American ginseng. Transaction of the ASAE 30: 842–847.Google Scholar
Ma, X, Yu, X, Han, J (1995) Application of off-line supercritical fluid extraction-gas chromatography for the investigation of chemical constituents in Curcuma zedoaria. Phytochemical Analysis 6: 292–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahady, G, Parrot, J, Lee, C, Yun, G and Dan, A (2003) Botanical dietary supplement use in peri- and postmenopausal women. Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society 10: 1 65–72.Google ScholarPubMed
Mannila, M, Kim, H, Isaacson, C and Wai, C (2002) Optimization of supercritical fluid extraction for the separation of hyperforin and adhyperforin in St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.). Green Chemistry 4: 331–336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meier, B (2003) Herbal medicinal products of St John's Wort manufacturing and quality control. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants—Industrial Profiles 31: 106–136.Google Scholar
Miller, D and Hawthorne, S (2000) Solubility of liquid organic flavor and fragrance compounds in subcritical (hot/liquid) water from 298 K to 473 K. Journal of Chemical Engineering Data 45: 315–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muller, J, Conrad, T, Tesic, M and Sabo, J (1993) Drying of medicinal plants in a plastic-house type solar dryer. Acta Horticulturae 344: 79–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ollanketo, M, Peltoketo, A and Hartonen, K (2002) Extraction of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) by pressurized hot water and conventional methods: antioxidant activity of the extracts. European Food Research Technology 215: 158–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Reilly, J (2000) Ginkgo biloba —large scale extraction and processing. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants—Industrial Profiles 12: 99–108.Google Scholar
Parejo, I, Viladomat, F, Bastida, J and Codina, C (2002) Variation of the arbutin content in different wild populations of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi in Catalonia, Spain. Journal of Herbs Spices and Medicinal Plants 7: 157–162.Google Scholar
Perry, N, van Klink, J, Burgess, E and Parmenter, G (2000) Alkamide levels in Echinacea purpurea: effects of processing, drying and storage. Planta Medica 66: 54–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Powell, E, Carrier, DJ, Crowe, T and Bantle, M (2001) Echinacoside and alkamide distribution in Echinacea angustifolia root: root depth and growing condition. Journal of Nutraceuticals, Functional and Medicinal Foods 3: 95–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, L (1998) Effects of drying on chemical and physical characteristics of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.). Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 6: 9–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richter, B, Jones, B, Ezzell, J and Porter, N (1996) Accelerated solvent extraction: a technique for sample preparation. Analytical Chemistry 68: 1033–1039.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Runha, F, Cordeiro, D, Pereira, C, Vilegas, G and Oliveira, W (2001) Production of dry extracts of medicinal Brazilian plants by spouted bed process: Development of the process and evaluation of thermal degradation during drying operation. Transactions of the Institution of Chemical Engineers 79: 160–168.Google Scholar
Rushing, J, Dufault, R and Hassell, R (2004) Drying temperature and developmental stage at harvest influence the parthenolide content of feverfew leaves and stems. Acta Horticulturae 629: 167–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanders, N (1993) Food legislation and the scope for increased use of near-critical fluid extraction operations in the food, flavoring and pharmaceutical industries. In: King, MB, Bott, TR (eds) Extraction of Natural Products Using Near-critical Solvents. New York: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Schwartzberg, H (1975) Mathmatical analysis of solubilization kinetics and diffusion in foods. Journal of Food Science 40: 211–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwob, I, Bessiere, JM, Masotti, V and Viano, J (2004) Changes in essential oil composition in St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) aerial parts during its phonological cycle. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 32: 735–745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seidler-Lożykowska, K (2003) Secondary metabolites content of Hypericum sp. in different stages and plant parts. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants—Industrial Profiles 31: 100–105.Google Scholar
Seidler-Lożykowska, K and Darbrowska, J (2003) Yield and polyphenolic acid content in purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea Moench.) at different growth stages. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 10: 7–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shi, J, Mazza, G and Maguer, M (2002) Functional Foods: Biochemical and Processing Aspects, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.Google Scholar
Shokhansanj, S, Bailey, W, Van Dalfsen, K (1999) Drying of North American ginseng roots (Panax quinquefolius L.). Drying Technology 17: 2293–2308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R and Burford, M (1992) Supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatographic determination of the sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide in the medicinal herb feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium). Journal of Chromatography 627: 255–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soldati, F and Tanaka, O (1984) Panax ginseng: relation between age of plant and content of ginsenosides. Planta Medica 44: 351–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuart, D and Willis, R (2000) Alkylamide and cichoric acid levels in Echinacea purpurea tissues during plant growth. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants 7: 91–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuart, D and Willis, R (2003) Effect of drying temperature on alkylamide and cichoric acid concentrations of Echinacea purpurea. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51: 1608–1610.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sun, L, Razaei, K, Temelli, F and Ooraikul, B (2002) Supercritical fluid extraction of alkylamides from Echinacea angustifolia. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 3947–3953.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suomi, J, Siren, H, Hartonen, K and Riekkola, M (2000) Extraction of iridoid glycosides and their determination by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A 868: 73–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tamura, Y and Nishibe, S (2002) Changes in the concentration of bioactive compounds in plantain leaves. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 2514–2518.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tanko, H, Carrier, DJ, Sokhansanj, S and Crowe, T (2003) Effects of drying temperature and storage on parthenolide concentration of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.) leaves. Journal of Nutraceuticals, Functional and Medicinal Foods 4: 27–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, LT (1996) Supercritical Fluid Extraction. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
van Beek, T and Lelyfeld, G (1992) Concentration of ginkgolides and bilobalide in Ginkgo biloba leaves in relation to the time of year. Planta Medica 58: 413–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Dalfsen, K, Bailey, W and Guo, Y (1995) Drying North American ginseng in British Columbia, Canada. In: Proceedings of the International Ginseng Conference, Vancouver, July 17–22, 1994. Burnaby, B.C.: Simon Fraser University, pp. 278–291.Google Scholar
Wallace, S, Carrier, DJ and Clausen, E (2004) Batch solvent extraction of flavanolignans from milk thistle (Silybum marianum). Phytochemical Analysis 16: 7–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Z, Lin, S and Hu, M (2004) Contents of hypericin and pseudohypericin in five commercial products of St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum). Journal of the Sciences of Food and Agriculture 84: 395–397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, R and Stuart, D (2000) Effect of handling and storage of alkylamides and cichoric acid in Echinacea purpurea. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 80: 1402–1406.3.0.CO;2-4>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wisniewski, G (1997) Drying of medicinal plants with solar energy utilization. Drying Technology 15: 6–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, C, Xu, Y, Yao, W (2002) Extraction of pharmaceutical components from Ginkgo biloba leaves using supercritical carbon dioxide. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 846–849.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yu, S, Ghandour, R and Huang, Z (2004) Herbal supplement use among US women, 2000. Journal of the American Medical Women's Association 59: 1 17–24.Google ScholarPubMed