PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Partes aéreas en flor.

ACCION FARMACOLOGICA= Pharmacological action: Tónico amargo, febrífugo, hepatoprotector, en transtornos nerviosos.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: G. achalensis exts. were tested for their antimicrobial activity against representative bacterial cultures. Methanolic, aq., and aq. alc. exts. were active against Bacillus subtilis. Fractionation of the methanolic ext. yielded 2 active fractions (F1 and F7). The fractions were further fractionated by bioautog. and HPLC with UV detection. The secoiridoids gentiopicroside and sweroside and the xanthone demethylbellidifolin were identified as the active compds. from the 2 fractions. Three other compds. identified (bellidifolin, isobellidifolin, swertianin) were without antimicrobial activity.

ZONA GEOGRAFICA= Geografical zone: Centro y noreste de Argentina.

Summary
Gentianella achalensis (Gentianaceae) belongs to a genus of plants locally known as nencias (or bitter grass in English), and is mostly used as an aperitif, digestive and hepatoprotective agent. Due to the fact that G. achalensis is a proven source of certain chemical compounds such as secoiridoids and xanthones, it is therefore acceptable to think of this plant as a local version of the renown European Gentiana lutea. At least one pharmacological study has shown topic antiinflammatory activity in the extracts of this species.

1) ALONSO, Jorge ; DESMARCHELIER, Cristian. Plantas medicinales autóctonas de la Argentina : bases científicas para su aplicación en atención primaria de la salud. Buenos Aires : L.O.L.A,2005, p.353-356.

2) NADINIC, Elena L., et al. Isolation of antimicrobial compounds from Gentianella achalensis (Gilg) Ho & Liu (Gentianaceae) extracts. Acta Farmaceutica Bonaerense. 2002, vol.21, nº2, p.123-130.

3) Plantas medicinales autóctonas de la Argentina. Bases científicas para su aplicación en atención primaria de la salud / Jorge Alonso y Cristian Jorge Desmarchelier. - 1a ed. - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Corpus Libros Médicos y Científicos, 2015.