Caracterización física y química de extractos de tres plantas medicinales de la región sur del Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, we sought to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of four extracts from three medicinal plants from southern Ecuador: Piper carpunya, Simira ecuadorensis, and Ilex guayusa. To obtain the extracts, the leaves were collected, washed, dried (40°C), and ground (particle size of 5 mm). To prepare the extracts, the leaves were macerated for 72 hours. The solvents used were water (lyophilized and spray-dried), ethanol-water, and ethanol. Each extract was evaluated for its physical and chemical characteristics: total solids (gravimetric evaporation method), ash (ash gravimetric method), relative density (pycnometer method), pH (pH meter method), moisture content (thermogravimetric method), and yield. The extract with the highest amount of total solids measured in the liquid extract was S. ecuadorensis ethanol (2.86 ± 0.32%), the highest moisture content was I. guayusa ethanol (1.51 ± 0.52%), for ash, the ethanol-water extract, P. carpunya (2.56 ± 0.34%). Regarding pH, the values ​​of all extracts ranged between 4.5 and 5.8, and for density, between 0.50 and 1.02 g/ml. The highest yield corresponded to the lyophilized extract of Ilex guayusa (43.40% on a dry basis). The above indicates that these extracts may be interesting for the use of their bioactive components due to their physical and chemical characteristic.