CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYTOBIOLOGICAL STUDY ON LEONURUS

The paper presents our experimental results regarding a comparative pharmacognostical and phytobiological study of Leonurus cardiaca L., motherwort (Lamiaceae), the vegetal drugs herba-, folium-, flos-, and caulis-type. Microscopically we identified the following specific anatomical elements: unicellular trichomes, with warty cuticle and pluricellular trichomes, with smooth cuticle for Leonuri folium; unicellular trichomes, with thin and smooth cuticle for Leonuri flos respectively. The chemical analysis showed the presence of flavonoids (2.04-2.21x10-3 g % in herb, 5.82-6.74x10-3 g % in leaves, 1.14-1.63x10-3 g % in flowers, and 0.83-1.02x10-3 g % in stems; expressed as rutin), polyphenolcarboxilic acids (62.34-65.12x10-3 g % in herb, 89.91-93.43x10-3 g % in leaves, 36.47-40.18x10-3 g % in flowers, and 12.41-15.64x10-3 in stems; expressed as caffeic acid), iridoides, triterpenes, tannins, sterols, carotenoids, monosaccharides, and polysaccharides. Triticum bioassay revealed the up and down (two ways) effect of the tested solutions. The aqueous extracts 5.00-1.66 % had concentration-dependent mitoinhibitory effect and the diluted solutions (0.33%) had a stimulating effec