Total hydroxycinnamic acid quantification and micromorphological characterization of balkan and imported herbal substances from Lamiaceae subfamilies

Herbal substances from Lamiaceae species have both traditional and contemporary phytotherapeutic applications and are a potent source of bioactive compounds. Phenolic derivatives, such as rosmarinic and chlorogenic acid, exhibit multiple activities, and rosmarinic acid has recently been shown to play important roles in wound healing [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. Few comprehensive comparative hydroxycinnamic acid assays have been conducted on genera from different Lamiaceae subfamilies, and none have been performed for herbal substances originating from or imported to the Balkans. Our primary goal is to elucidate the total hydroxycinnamic acid contents of herbal substances from Ajugoideae, Lamioideae, and Nepetoideae taxa by performing a spectrophotometric determination as described in the European Pharmacopoeia [ 3 ]. A secondary objective is to describe the micromorphological characteristics in bright field of herbal substances that do not have established individual Pharmacopoeial monographs. We report the total hydroxycinnamic acid contents expressed as rosmarinic and chlorogenic acid of 20 herbal substances from 19 taxa and the micromorphological characteristics of 12 herbal substances. While herbal substances from Nepetoideae species accumulate the highest contents of phenolic acid derivatives, the dried aerial parts of Ajugoideae species, such as Teucrium polium L., also accumulate relatively significant contents of hydroxycinnamic acids (5.41±0.4%). Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany