Evaluation of nutritional and medicinal properties of Bacopa monnieri biomass and preparations

Abstract

Bacopa monnieri (Scrophulariaceae) is a well-known plant and has been used by humans for several thousand years. In traditional Hindu medicine, it is one of the most important medicinal plants. The aim of the work was to determine the content of Fe, Mg, and Zn and selected organic compounds before and after extraction into the artificial digestive juices obtained from preparations containing B. monnieri. Commercial preparations in the form of tablets and capsules and B. monnieri shoot cultures were used in the experiment. The metal content in the considered mineralized samples was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry and organic compounds by RP-HPLC method. The maximum measured content of the metals released into the digestive juices was as follows: Fe ñ 32.85; Mg ñ 367.51; and Zn ñ 16.41 mg/100 g of the preparation. The existing research shows that metals are best released into the artificial digestive juices from the B. monnieri shoot cultures, and least efficiently from the commercial preparations available in the form of tablets. The phenolic compounds analyzed in the methanol extracts and the extracts of the artificial digestive juices were as follows: protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, cynaroside, trifolin, and luteolin. Bacoside A was only determined in the extracts from the B. monnieri shoot cultures. The experimental results revealed that B. monnieri distributed in the form of tablets did not break down in the artificial digestive juices during the considered time intervals.