Comparative study of the alkaloids extracted from Vinca minor and those present in the homeopathic tincture 1X

The major alkaloids of Vinca minor L. (Common Perriwinkle): Vincamine, Vincamone, Apovincamine, Vincaminol, Deoxyvincaminol and their derivatives were used in relieving certain cancers. Recent clinical and non-clinical trials have confirmed their beneficial cerebrovascular effect and neuroprotective action. Moreover, homeopathic tincture of Periwinkle was found useful in alleviating the itching, scaling and flaking caused by psoriasis, a matter which stimulated chemical investigation of the captioned tincture to support our intended petition to include it for external use in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS). In this presentation, the homeopathic tincture 1X of the aerial parts of V. minor was prepared (following HPUS guidelines) and compared with a conventional total alkaloidal extract. The structures of the major constituents in these two extracts were investigated by using UV, IR, HPTLC, HPLC-PDA, and HPLC-ESI-MS. This helped to identify the main components present in the extracts. The type and relative abundance of the major constituents were compared. The total alkaloidal extract contained the major Vinca alkaloids such as Vincamine, Vincamone, 1,2-dehydroaspidosperimidine, Vincamidine, Vincadifformine, Vincareine, while the homeopathic tincture contained mainly Vincamine, Vincamone, Vincaminol, Vinderidine, and certain flavonoids such as Quercetin-3-gluco-7-rhamnoglucosde, Kaemferol-7-gluco-3-rhamnoglucoside, and Kaempferol-3-gluco-7-rhamnoglucoside. Procedure details and results are reported and discussed.