CHED 215

Amanda M. Cavazos; Alakananda R. Chaudhuri and Edward E. Gonzalez, Department of Chemistry, University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209, FAX: 210-829-3153, gonzalee@uiwtx.edu

Three popular medicinal plants from Mexico used in folk medicine for the treatment of hypertension were selected for study. Our research objective was to identify and compare the volatile chemical components common to each of the plants. The barks, leaves and stems of each plant were pulverized and extracted successively in a Soxhlet apparatus with solvents of increasing polarity: (1) petroleum ether, (2) anhydrous diethyl ether, (3) chloroform, and (4) absolute ethanol. Separate plant samples were extracted with dichloromethane and de-ionized water. The aqueous infusions were extracted in a separatory funnel with dichloromethane. All extracts were evaporated to dryness and the residues dissolved in anhydrous dichloromethane. Samples were concentrated, filtered, dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate and analyzed with a GC-MS.