Chemical constituents of Phyteuma Orbiculare, a forgotten food plant of Valais
2012
Abbet, C. | Hamburger, M. | Potterat, O. | Slacanin, I.
Numerous wild plants have been used as foods in the past by local Alpine populations. Most of these have fallen into oblivion, and very little is known about their constituents and biological properties. We recently initiated a project to identify forgotten plants which could potentially be taken into cultivation and re-established as food plants with interesting sensory properties and a phytochemical composition which might have beneficial effects on health. Based on an ethnobotanical survey in the Lower Valais region, and on considerations concerning the feasibility of large scale cultivation, the round-headed rampion (Phyteuma orbiculare, Campanulaceae), a perennial herb that was eaten in the past as a salad, was selected for a detailed phytochemical investigation. Different extracts of the aerial parts were submitted to a comprehensive metabolite profiling using a combination of TLC, HPLC-UV, HPLC-MS and off-line microprobe NMR analysis. Various secondary metabolites including saponins and flavonoids were detected in the aerial parts of P. orbiculare, and two saponins with structurally unique aglycons were isolated and characterized. Preliminary data on nutritionally valuable substances such as carotenes and fatty acids were obtained for a specimen collected near Orsières (Valais). Further investigations on samples collected at different locations and at various vegetation stages are planned.
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