Valerian roots have been utilized in the preparation of phytomedicines commonly employed as sedatives and calming agents in many parts of the world for centuries. Valerenic acid derivatives are reliable marker compounds presently used in standardization of phytomedicines derived from the roots of this plant. In this study, a new approach to isolate these compounds from fresh roots of the plant is presented. The fresh roots were extracted with methanol and fractionated with solvents of increasing polarity (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol). Further separation of the hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts to isolate compounds was carried out using column and preparative thin layer chromatography. The isolated/separated compounds were identified using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H1 NMR). The investigation resulted in the isolation of acetoxyvalerenic acid from the column chromatography of hexane extract and hydrovalerenic acid from the preparative thin layer chromatography of ethyl acetate extract, though not in pure form. In addition, several other related compounds were isolated.
Key words: Valerenic acid derivatives; Valerian; Isolation; Valiana officinalis
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