Comparative Spectrophotometric Study of the Herb of Representatives of the Genus Althaea L.

Currently, an urgent area of research in the pharmaceutical industry is the search for new sources of medicinal and the creation of modern medicines based on it. However, the introduction of new types of plant raw materials is associated with the need to form a regulatory framework, which requires in-depth pharmacognostic studies aimed at establishing clear criteria for the quality and authenticity of biologically active substances in the composition. This article presents the results of a comparative spectrophotometric study of water-alcohol extracts from the herb of representatives of the genus Althaea (Althaea L.), native to the Samara region: Armenian marshmallow (Althaea armeniaca Ten.), hemp-leaved marshmallow (Althaea cannabina L.), medicinal marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), medicinal marshmallow variety «Rassvet». As a result of the experiment, the possibility of using the spectrophotometry method only within the framework of unrelated impurity species of this taxonomic group was revealed. The presence of a simple phenolic group of the С1-С6 series was established, and the quantitative content of the sum of flavonoids in terms of a standard sample of rutins was calculated. The amount of flavonoids in the presented species varies from 0.78% ± 0,03% to 1.12% ±0,04%