The North-American bush Hamamelis virghliana L. (Hamamelidaceae) is successfully cultivated in the moist subtropical Adzhariya region of Georgia. The leaves and preparations of this plant are included in pharmacopeia of many countries and are widely used as a vascular circulation regulator, anti-inflammatory, antihemorrhagic, astringent, and cosmetic componentAccording to the literature, the leaves and bark ofH. virginiana contain tanning agents such as the gallic glycoside hamamelitannin, free gallic acid, flavonoids, and bitter principles [1, 4].The leaves of//. virginiana ~own in Georgia are rich in phenolic compounds, the total content of which reaches 14%, The phenolic compounds are isolated from aqueous alcohol extracts of the air-dried leaves (45 and 70% ethanol) with subsequent extraction by ethylacetate. The combined compounds are separated into the pure components by adsorption and partition chromatography on silica-gel, polyamide, and Sephadex (LH-20) columns using various solvent systems. The following flavonols, phenolcarboxylic acids, hydrolyzed tannides, anthocyanidines, and catechins were isolated: kaempferol (3,5,7,4'pentahydroxyflavone), mp 278-281~ ~a~ (EtOH) 368. 268 nm; quercetin (3,5,7,3',4'-pentahydroxyflavone), mp 311-314~ ~-,~ax (EtOH). 370. 255 rim: trifolin (kaempferol-3-O-13-D-galactoside), mp 192-194'~C, )'m~,x (EtOH), 354, 267 nm [5]; kaempferol-3-O-~-D-glucuronide, mp 175-178~C. Z,,a,,.~ (EtOH), 350, 266 nm [6, 71; hyperin (quercetin-3-O-~-D-galactoside), mp 235-239~ ~,,~L, (EtOH), 360, 262 nm [8]; quercituron or mikwelianin (quercetin-3-O-13-D-glucuronide), mp 189-190~ ~'~,ax (EtOH) 357. 257 nm [7]; caffeic, chlorogenic, and gallic acids, mp 192-194, 202-204. and 250-25 I'~C, respectively [8, 9]: hamamelitanin (2',5-digalloyihamamelose), mp 137-144~ [10]; cyanidine and delfinidine, ~'m,,~ 535,546 nm, respectively (in CH3OH-HCI) [9, 111; (+)-catechin, mp 175-176~C. ~'m,,x (EtOH), 280 nm [9]. The flavonoid galactosides and glucuronides are isolated tor the first time from H. rirginiana.
