Leaves of Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea) as an Alternative Source of Bitter Secoiridoid Glycosides

In a search for methods of manufacturing bitter principles from Gentiana lutea, mainly represented by gentiopicroside (1) and amarogentin (2), as an alternative to extraction from the roots of this plant, in this short communication it is shown that the leaves of this plant can be regarded as an additional source of such phytochemicals. Extraction of G. lutea leaves was coupled to solid-phase adsorption by differently structured solids as a separation technology step, providing a selective isolation of both these secondary metabolites in good to excellent yields. Thus, the extraction of bitter secoiridoids can be achieved in an equivalent or improved way rather than processing the roots of G. lutea while preserving the biodiversity of the species.