Content of biologically active substances in the raw materials of some Siberian Saussurea species

This paper focuses on the chemical composition of five Siberian Saussurea species: S. frolowii, S. controversa, S. latifolia, S. parviflora and S. salicifolia. Four groups of substances were found in dry mass of these plants: phenolic compounds (flavonoids, tannins), carotenoids, pectins and saponins. Quantitative spectrophotometric analysis revealed a high content of flavonoids, catechins, tannins, carotenoids and saponins in some samples. Leaves of S. parviflora and S. latifoliacontain high contents of flavonoids (greater than 3.2 %). The greatest amount of catechins accumulates in the leaves of S. parviflora and S. frolowii. Due to the high content of tannins S. parviflora and S. latifoliaare noteworthy. Leaves of S. parvifloraand S. latifolia accumulate a particularly large number of carotenoids. Leaves of S. parviflora and S. controversaare particularly rich in saponins. Our results confirm the hypothesis about the prospects of the use of these species for the development of herbal medicines.