PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF SOME SALVIA SPECIES FROM ROMANIAN FLORA

The genus Salvia, composed of more than 900 species worldwide distributed, is well known for its various uses, including therapeutic ones. Many species within the genus exhibit activities such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial etc. The chemical composition of these species include polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenes, which induce such activities. The present study compares the polyphenolic and flavonoidic contents of 9 species present in Romanian flora, including Salvia officinalis. Using a HPLC method, polyphenolcarboxilic acids and flavonoid compounds were determined in S. aethiopis L., S. austriaca Jacq., S. glutinosa L., S. nemorosa L., S. nutans L., S. officinalis L., S. pratensis L., S. ringens Sibth & Sm. and S. verticillata L. from spontaneous and cultivated populations. A spectrophotometric method was used to evaluate total contents of polyphenols and flavonoids. S. officinalis, S. verticillata and S. glutinosa have the highest content of such compounds, and, consequently, a high antioxidative potential.