Greek mountain tea, a medicinal plant from Mediterranean countries and Balkan

Greek mountain tea, Sideritis scardica, has a long history in traditional medicine. Currently, S. scardica is investigated for its pharmacological activity in the central nervous system in which cognition-enhancing and neuroprotective properties have been described [1]-[2]. Dried leaves of S. scardica were extracted with 80 % ethanol, and the extract was suspended in distilled water and successively extracted with solvents of increasing polarity. Selected extracts were fractionated by different chromatographic techniques and isolated compounds identified by NMR spectroscopy. Isolated compounds and extracts were tested in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in vitro systems, as well as in cholinesterase inhibition assays. The 80% ethanol extract was found to contain flavones (glycosides of isoscutellarein and hypolaetin), phenylethanoids (mainly verbascoside) and chlorogenic acid as the main constituents. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects were ascribed to the high content of polyphenols in the 80% ethanol extract. No inhibition of acetylcholine- or butyrylcholinesterases was observed. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects are suggested to play a protective role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Our findings may seem to be in compliance with previous in vivo findings and should be followed up in future studies.

• References

• 1 Hofrichter J, Krohn M, Schumacher T, Lange C, Feistel B, Walbroel B, Pahnke J. Sideritis spp. Extracts Enhance Memory and Learning in Alzheimer’s β-Amyloidosis Mouse Models and Aged C57Bl/6 Mice. J Alzheimer´s Dis 2016; 53: 967-980
• 2 Heiner F, Feistel B, Wink M. Peer J 2018; 6: e4683