Drug info - MAOI Effects of Heather

[helikophis]

It looks like common heather (aka ling), contains quercetin, and has MAOI effects:

MAO-A inhibitory activity of quercetin from Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull.
Lasse Saaby ∗ , Hasse B. Rasmussen, Anna K. Jäger


Aim of the study: This study investigated MAO-A inhibitory activity of methanol extract of Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull., which traditionally has been used as a nerve calming remedy. Materials and methods: A methanolic extract of Calluna vulgaris was partitioned against heptane, ethyl acetate and water. The three fractions were tested in a photometric peroxidase linked MAO-A bioassay. The ethyl acetate phase showed the highest MAO-A inhibitory activity. Quercetin was isolated by VLC through bioassay-guided fractionation and purified by re-crystallisation. The structure was elucidated by LC–MS and 1 H NMR.
Results: The IC50 -value for MAO-A inhibition by quercetin was 18 ± 0.2 􏰀M in an assay where the IC50 -value for MAO-A inhibition by clorgylin was 0.2 ± 0.02 􏰀M.
Conclusion: The content of quercetin in Calluna vulgaris might explain the reported nerve calming effect of the plant.

I've added the file to ethnobotanicals section of the archive.

Reputation Comments on this post:

excellent information on a plant that hasn't fully been explored