As características farmacognósticas das folhas de Davilla elliptica A. St.-Hil. e D. rugosa Poir., Dilleniaceae, foram determinadas com objetivo de auxiliar na identificação taxonômica e no controle de qualidade das drogas vegetais e de produtos fitoterápicos. A espécie D. elliptica é um arbusto ereto, que ocorre naturalmente no cerrado e D. rugosa é um trepadeira lenhosa de beira de mata. Ambas são conhecidas popularmente como lixeirinha, sambaibinha e cipó-caboclo, empregadas na medicina tradicional como antiinflamatória e antiúlcera. As características microscópicas observadas em D. rugosa tais como tricomas estrelados e esclereídes no mesofilo e em D. elliptica de idioblastos contendo mucilagem e endoderme, são parâmetros que poderão ser utilizados na diferenciação das espécies. Os teores obtidos nos ensaios de pureza e nos doseamentos de taninos (9,4% e 7,2%), flavonoides (0,46% e 0,9%) e mucilagens (2,2% e 4,1%) de ambas as espécies, podem contribuir no controle de qualidade das drogas vegetais uma vez que são usadas indistintamente na produção de fitoterápicos.

The characters pharmacognostics of leaves of Davilla elliptica St. Hil. and Davilla rugosa Poir. of Dilleniaceae family were determinated for aiming in taxonomic and quality control of vegetable drugs and phytotherapic produtcs. The specie of D. elliptica is an erect shrub, that occurs naturally in cerrado and D. rugosa is a scandent shrub of forest edge. Both are populary known as "lixeirinha", "sambaibinha" and "cipó-caboclo" and used in popular medicine as anti-inflammatory and antiulcer. The microscopic characteristics observed like strellate trichomes and sclereids in the mesophyll in D. rugosa and the idioblasts with mucilage and endodermis in D. elliptica are parameter that will be used to differentiate the species. The content obtained in tests of purity and the tannins (9.4% and 7.2%), flavonoids (0.46% and 0.9%) and mucilage (2.2% and 4.1%) of both species help in quality control of vegetable drugs since they are indistinctly used in production of phytotherapics.

Polygonum hydropiperoides Michaux é uma espécie conhecida popularmente como "erva-de-bicho", amplamente utilizada na medicina tradicional como anti-hemorroidal, antiinflamatória e antidiarréica. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo a caracterização anatômica e histoquímica da folha, caule e raiz, que constituem a droga vegetal, visando estabelecer parâmetros para o controle de qualidade. O material vegetal foi fixado e submetido às técnicas usuais de microscopia de luz e aos testes histoquímicos. A folha é anfiestomática, dorsiventral e com estômatos paracíticos e anisocíticos. É comum a presença de estruturas secretoras como: tricomas glandulares capitados e glândulas epidérmicas e subepidérmicas em ambas as faces da lâmina foliar e também no caule. O material secretado pelas glândulas apresenta composição heterogênea de lipídios e flavonóides, segundo análises histoquímicas. Cristais de oxalato de cálcio e grãos de amido são freqüentes em células parenquimáticas da folha e do caule. Compostos fenólicos estão presentes na folha (parênquima paliçádico), no caule (parênquima cortical e floema) e na raiz (parênquima cortical).

P. hydropiperoides is popularly known as "erva-de-bicho", and it is used in traditional medicine as anti-hemorroidal, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrhoeic. The present work has as objective the anatomical and histochemical characterization of leaf, stem and root that are used as drug in order to offer elements for quality control. The botanical material was prepared for the usual optical and histochemical microtechniques. The leaf is amphistomatic, dorsiventral and paracytic and anisocytic stomata. It is common to find the presence of secretory structures as: capitate glandular trichomes and secretory glands on both epidermis, that are also present in stem. The secretion material is heterogeneous composition of lipids and flavonoids. Druses of calcium oxalate and starch are common in parenchyma cells of leaf and stem. Phenolic compounds are present in leaf (palisade parenchyma), in stem (cortical parenchyma and phloem) and root (cortical parenchyma).

Four known alkaloids, uleine, epiuleine, apparicine and desmethyluleine, besides the isoprenoids lupeol and stigmasterol were isolated from the stem bark of Aspidosperma parvifolium. Their identification was based on spectroscopic analysis (UV, IR, ¹H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS). The chromatographic profile of the ethanolic extract was obtained by HPLC and uleine, epiuleine and apparicine were identified in the extract.

Four naphthoquinones, lapachol, a-lapachone, dehydro-a-lapachone and 4-hydroxy-a-lapachone were isolated from the ethanol extract of Zeyheria montana M. roots (Bignoniaceae) and were identified by spectroscopic methods. These naphthoquinones, except 4-hydroxy-a-lapachone, were quantified by HPLC, in the crude ethanol extracts of Z. montana roots. The separation of lapachol, a-lapachone and dehydro-a-lapachone was achieved and these compounds were identified in the chromatograms by their retention times and by their on line UV-spectra. The quantification of the three naphthoquinones, in four different samples showed medium contents of 11,0 mg of lapachol, 6,1 mg of a-lapachone and 4,3 mg of dehydro-a-lapachone, in 100 mg of Z.montana roots.