Rainutria Japanese: Use of a Most Dangerous Invasive Plant

Young red-leaved seedlings of Reynoutria japonica Houtt. were studied. It was shown for the first time that the red coloring of the leaves of seedlings is due to the accumulation of two anthocyanins - cyanidin-3-glucoside (54% of the total anthocyanins) and cyanidin-3-rutinoside (45%), - from 350 to 450 mg per 100 g of dried plant material. The species composition of anthocyanins was determined by reverse-phase HPLC with spectrophotometric detection. In addition to anthocyanins, a substance with an electronic absorption spectrum characteristic of resveratrol derivatives was found in leaf chromatograms, but with significantly lower retention compared to resveratrol. This substance, in accordance with the literature, was identified as resveratrol glucoside - polydatin, with an accumulation level of 90 to 150 mg per 100 g of dried plant material. These same substances are also found in the aqueous infusion, which allows the resulting material to be considered as a potentially important additive to green or black tea and when blended with other plant material. Moreover, the concentration of polydatin can be an order of magnitude higher than the concentration of this substance in red wines, allowing this dangerous invasive plant to be used for the benefit of humans.