title: Condensed tannins in extracts from European medicinal plants and herbal products.
abstract: Medicinal plant materials are not usually analysed for condensed tannins (CT). Thirty commercially available European medicinal plants and herbal products were screened for CT and fourteen CT samples were analysed in detail. This is also the first comprehensive CT analysis of pine buds, walnut leaves, heather flowers and great water dock roots. Acetone/water extracts contained between 3.2 and 25.9 g CT/100g of extract, had CT with mean degrees of polymerisation of 2.9 to 13.3, procyanidin/prodelphinidin ratios of 1.6/98.4 to 100/0 and cis/trans flavan-3-ol ratios of 17.7/82.3 to 97.3/2.7. The majority of samples contained procyanidins, four contained A-type linkages (blackthorn flowers, heather flowers, bilberry leaves and cowberry leaves) and one sample also had galloylated procyanidins (great water dock roots).
authors.affiliation: Chemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, P O Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT, UK. Electronic address: h.m.ropiak@reading.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Honorata M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ropiak
authors.affiliation: Chemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, P O Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT, UK.
authors.forename: Aina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.affiliation: Chemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, P O Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT, UK. Electronic address: i.mueller-harvey@reading.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mueller-Harvey
mesh_terms: D044946:Biflavonoids / Q000737:chemistry; D002392:Catechin / Q000737:chemistry; D005060:Europe; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D044945:Proanthocyanidins / Q000737:chemistry; D013634:Tannins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D044946:Biflavonoids; D005419:Flavonoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D044945:Proanthocyanidins; D013634:Tannins; C404987:flavan-3-ol; C017674:procyanidin; D002392:Catechin
keywords: Flavan-3-ols; Mean degree of polymerization; Molar response factors; Proanthocyanidins; Thiolysis