Attempts of chemical standardizing of Chrysanthemum parthenium as a prospective antimigraine drug.

A quantitative analysis of biologically active sesquiterpene lactones in ethanol and aqueous extracts of Chrysanthemum parthenium and its form flosculosum was carried out. The sesquiterpene lactone contents in the extracts were comparable, although the contents of ethanol extracts (ca. 0.5%) were higher than of aqueous ones (ca. 0.3%). Parthenolide was found to be the main constituent of the lactones. The applied IR and TLC/FID methods for quantitative determination of the total sesquiterpene lactones and parthenolide, respectively, may be used for chemical standardizing of the raw material and its preparations.