Characterization and hypericins content in some Hypericum species from Sicily

Different species belonging to the genus Hypericum are distributed into many environments of Sicily, where they represent an important component of wild Sicilian flora (Giardina et al., 2007). Among these, H. perforatum (St John’s Wort) is certainly the most common and famous; its floral parts are largely and traditionally used as a folk herbal remedy for treatment of wounds and burns, and considered an important raw matter for pharmaceutical industry due to their acknowledged antidepressant and sedative properties. Although it is not completely clear yet which compounds are responsible for the biological activity of Hypericum, the European Pharmacopoeia takes as a reference index for evaluating the quality of the drugs, the total content in naphthodianthrones, i.e., in hypericins (hypericin and pseudohypericin) on total dry extract. The concentration of hypericins in sprout and flowers may range from 0,06% and 0,75%, but for market quality a minimum hypericin amount of 0,04% is required (Wagner and Bladt,1994). Other Hypericum species besides H. perforatum contain appreciable hypericins amounts, and therefore could represent alternative raw matter sources for industry.