CHARACTERIZATION AND STANDARDIZATION OF THE HERBAL DRUG BACCHARIS TRIMERA (LESS.) DC AND ITS LYOPHILIZED EXTRACT

Baccharis trimera is used in traditional medicine in South American countries for treatment of diseases, such as digestive disturbances, rheumatism, diabetes and inflammatory processes. Given its pharmacological potential, the aim was to characterize the vegetal drug B. trimera and attain and standardize its lyophilized extract to use as raw vegetal material in the development of phytotherapeutic medicine. Chemical identification and prospecting, granulometric determination, loss by desiccation, total ash and caffeic acid through High-Performance Liquid Chromatography were carried out. The lyophilized extract obtained was submitted to assays for determining caffeic acids, rheology, hygroscopicity, solubility, superficial area, porosity, particle size through laser granulometry and the thermogravimetric curve. The assays demonstrated that the sample is within the described specifications in literature and, therefore, is adequate to obtain the liquid extract and later dry and standardized in relation to the content of caffeic acids. The lyophilized extract was fine powder, demonstrating the necessity for addition of excipients that make possible the use of the input for the attainment of solid pharmaceutical forms. It was possible to infer characteristics of the vegetal drug and the dry extract obtained through the lyophilization process that will have to be considered in later studies of formularization.