bitter principle
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<p>PICROTOXIN is a bitter principle of the berries of the species Mensiperum coculus and Anamirata coculus, creepers which are indigenous to the East Indies. It was first isolated in 1812, and subsequent elementary analysis showed that it contained only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Because of its potent poisonous nature and its physiological action, together with its high oxygen content, picrotoxin has often been referred to as an “oxygen alkaloid”. It is a central nervous system stimulant and a powerful convulsant drug. It is used in medicine as an antidote to barbiturate poisoning, being still preferred for this purpose over many other drugs. It has also been used in cases of alcoholic intoxication, and as a fish poison.</p>

<p>PICROTOXIN is a bitter principle of the berries of the species Mensiperum coculus and Anamirata coculus, creepers which are indigenous to the East Indies. It was first isolated in 1812, and subsequent elementary analysis showed that it contained only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Because of its potent poisonous nature and its physiological action, together with its high oxygen content, picrotoxin has often been referred to as an “oxygen alkaloid”. It is a central nervous system stimulant and a powerful convulsant drug. It is used in medicine as an antidote to barbiturate poisoning, being still preferred for this purpose over many other drugs. It has also been used in cases of alcoholic intoxication, and as a fish poison.</p>

Background: Amarogentin is a major chemical constituent of bitter principle found in Swertia chirayita (Roxb.ex Fleming) Karsten; family Gentianaceae. Chirata is an endangered species because of it’s over exploitation for pharmaceutical industries. These species are mainly found in the Himalayas and used for gastritis, diabetes, jaundice, urinary disorders, liver disorders, etc. The bitter principle as a main indicator of the medical herb, Nowadays, other species of Swertia are substituted and traded by the name of Chirata. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to estimate Amarogentin and to standardize Chirata samples collected from different markets of Nepal in 2013 A.D. Method and Materials: Different market samples of the species were analyzed for foreign matter, moisture content, extractive values; and bitter principles i.e. Amarogentin by using UFLC at Pacific Analytical Laboratory and Training Center, Lalitpur, Nepal. Result: The findings revealed that foreign matter, moisture content, extractive values; and bitter principles i.e. Amarogentin content varied with different market samples. Methonolic extraction yielded higher percentage of extracts than that of chloroform extraction. Samples including more root and stem, in general, contained higher Amarogentin than samples containing more leaves. The samples containing higher moisture content were lesser in Amarogentin content. The finding of Amarogentin of sample collected from Charikot, Dolkha was 3mg/100gm.Conclusion: In this study, the findings suggest that sample collected from local market of Charikot, Dolkha district was Swertia chirayita and was the best quality.

A method of effective study on sesquiterpeine lactones in unknown plant material was worked out. This method allows the choice of species with high sesquiterpene lactones content and interesting chemical composition. Studies were carried out on 14 species of <i>Chrysanthemum</i> s.l.. The method of elementary appreciation consisted in: estimation of the bitter principle index (assayed by the modified Ph-P.IV. method), quantitative analysis of lactone fractions and chromatographical examination. Quantitative analysis of sesquiterpene lactones in plant material was carried out by the IR spectroscopy method specially adapted for this purpose. Chromatographic examinations were carried out by the thin-layer technique on silica gel. Chromatograms of lactone fractions were developed with 6 selective reagents. The correlation between the bitter principle index and quantitative content of sesquiterpene lactones was ascertained. Bisides great qualitative also quantitative differences were observed between 14 investigated species from <i>Chrysanthemum</i> s.l.

An experiment under the scaling up project of ARS Pakhribas was conducted to identify quality and compare the cultivated and wild Chiraito (Swertia chirayita) samples collected from eastern, central and western regions hill districts during 2004. This work aimed to identify best sites/ districts for quality production of this important medicinal herb through cultivation and conservation for initiating export of value added quality product in a sustainable way. Processed product is cheaper to send the overseas market as the volume and weight are decreased. Quality analysis is necessary to ensure quality standard of international market in the context of WTO. Assessment of the collected samples was done by quantifying the extract content and analyzing bitter principle in the Herbs Production and Processing Company lab, Kathmandu. The result revealed that extract content and bitter principle percent varied depending upon different agro-eco growing conditions and extraction method. Hot extraction gave more extract of the plant than cold percolation method. Wild samples, in general, contained higher bitter principle than cultivated, whereas extract content was higher in cultivated Chiraito. The international market could be better ensured with such study result. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 13, No. 2 (2012) 57-62 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v13i2.7715