Variation in the active compounds among natural populations of Swertia cordata

Abstract

Swertia cordata (Wall. ex G. Don) C.B. Clarke is an important medicinal plant of the family Gentianaceae and is found distributed throughout temperate regions of the Himalaya. The species is used in various ethno-medicinal systems and as an adulterant of Swertia chirayita. Plants collected during the flowering stage from four different populations were air dried and crushed to make extract. The extract was analyzed using HPLC for the presence of bioactive molecules. Quantitative variations exist in the bioactive compounds among different populations. Variations among studied populations are due to long term adaptation in particular ecological niche. As S. chirayita has been banned for collection due to rarity in natural populations, S. cordata may be used as an alternate source. Presence of amarogentin, amaroswerin, and mangiferin increases the medicinal importance along with further research on chemistry, pharmacology, domestication, and crop improvement aspects of S. cordata.