PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION, ANATOMICAL AND SEASONAL EVALUATION OF THUJA OCCIDENTALIS L. (CUPRESSACEAE)

Thuja occidentalis L. is a plant widely used therapeutically. Having seen the necessity to standardize the vegetal drug and to evaluate the interference of certain environmental and seasonal factors on the synthesis of metabolites, notably flavonoids, this work considered anatomical and physical-chemical characterization assays for the aforesaid vegetal drug, in addition to phytochemical prospecting and evaluation of the flavonoid content for one year. Characterization demonstrated that a thick powder (484 µm), with loss by desiccation (6.9%), water determination (5.3%), ash content (4.5%) and volatile oils (0.7%) to be acceptable. The average content of total polysaccharides obtained for analysis was 233.2 mg/g. The anatomical evaluation pointed to structures such as spongy parenchyma, secretor channels, heteromorphic cells and ciclocitic stomata.  Phytochemical prospecting showed the presence of the majority of the metabolites investigated in all the months of study. Alkaloids and coumarins were absent. The verified results for flavonoid content indicate that T. occidentalis presents a dynamic metabolism with maximum attainment of flavonoids in march/2012, with a suggestive relationship with the verified low pluviometric index. The characterization data correspond to the first parameters for quality that allow for standardization of the vegetal drug and future phytomedicines obtained from this plant.