DETERMINATION OF POLYSACCHARIDES IN THE ROOT NODULES OF ORCHIS MASCULA L. (EARLY SPRING ORCHIS)

Аннотация

Orchis mascula L., commonly known as Early spring orchis, is a perennial medicinal plant of the Orchidaceae family widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The root nodules of this plant have long been used in traditional medicine due to their anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. However, little is known about the chemical constituents, particularly polysaccharides. This study aimed to isolate and quantify water-soluble polysaccharides (WSP) and pectic substances (PS) using two different extraction methods. The results showed that prior removal of lipophilic and phenolic substances significantly influenced the polysaccharide yield, particularly reducing the WSP content. These findings provide preliminary quantitative data that may contributeto futurepharmacognostic and phytochemical studies ofO. mascula. Keywords: Early spring orchis, Orchis mascula,root nodules, polysaccharides, pectic substances, phytochemistry