Microscopic and Phytochemical Comparison of the Three Leonurus Species L. cardiaca, L. japonicus, and L. sibiricus

Abstract

At least three species,, and , are used in various traditional medicinal systems for different therapeutic purposes. The plant names "" and "" are often used as synonyms, which causes confusion in literature and implies that several studies may be based on improperly identified plant material. To avoid further confusion, the current status of the identification of these three species is illustrated. Characteristics for their unequivocal identification are presented using stereo and light microscopy as well as HPTLC.The establishment of the species-specific anatomical, morphological, and phytochemical characters was based on reference specimens in comparison with wild collected or commercially obtained material. Morphologically, the species differed in shape and length ratio of the upper and lower lip of the corolla. Differentiating anatomical characters involve the presence, density, and dimension of trichomes on different organs. Detailed anatomical descriptions of the leaves and corollae of and are given and compared to . These three sets of characters facilitate fast and reliable identification. Complementary HPTLC fingerprints show type-specific patterns that allow the differentiation of from the other two species. For the distinction of and, flower morphology has to be considered.The presented data contribute to the quality control of the three species and additionally meet a definite and timely need regarding the introduction of to the European Pharmacopoeia in addition to the already existing monograph of .

Structure characterization and anticoagulant activity of a novel polysaccharide from Leonurus artemisia (Laur.) S. Y. Hu F

“…2 Leonurus artemisia contains many chemical constituents with a variety of pharmacological effects, such as alkaloids for antioxygenation, diterpenoids for anti-platelet agglutinating, avonoids for uterine excitation and volatile oil for bacteriostasis. 3 Most of the previous literature has attributed its anticoagulant activity to its small molecule components such as leonurine, genkwanin, and aethylparabenum.…”

Appearance, molecule identification, and phylogenetic analysis of the three Leonurus species used for the treatment of gynecological diseases

“…The ower is gradually spherical to the top and can be gathered into a long spike (Fig. 1c) (Pitschmann et al, 2017).…”

“…The three similar Leonurus species of L. japonicus, L. cardiaca, and L. sibiricus have distinct medical applications (Racg, 1961;Pitschmann et al, 2017). The whole grass of L. japonicus has the active ingredient of Leonurin, which is widely used for the treatment of women's amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, excessive postpartum bleeding, lochia, postpartum uterine insu ciency, fetal movement, uterine prolapse, and the disorders of the red and white vaginal discharge (Zhao et al, 2022).…”

Comparative genomic analysis betweenLeonurus japonicusandLeonurus sibiricus

“…Leonurus sibiricus is another species that is closely related to L. japonicus . Both are common in the wild in China with similar appearances, but the metabolic patterns are extremely different (Pitschmann et al, 2017; Zhang et al, 2018) because the whole plant of L. sibiricus is almost leonurine-free. According to the huge difference in leonurine, L. japonicus and L. sibiricus are perfect research materials to study the biosynthesis pathway of leonurine.…”