Introduction:

The increase in the consumption of natural resources for the relief of different diseases has led several countries to design control mechanisms that guarantee through physical-chemical methods the quality of the plant material that will be used as raw material for pharmaceutical preparations and / or as traditional medicine. Counterfeiting, poor quality, or adulteration in these products pose a serious threat to consumer safety. The study of the quality parameters of a plant species allows us to recognize its identity, its purity, as well as the content of active principles, which guarantee its quality, efficacy and safety. U. urens L. (Urticaceae) is a widely distributed species in South America, in Bolivia it is found in different types of terrain, in the Canton Chama of the Ingavi province it is widely used by its inhabitants mainly in the treatment of inflammatory and urinary diseases.

Objective.

To study the quality parameters of the plant species U. urens L. collected in the Canton Chama of the Ingavi province of the Department of La Paz.

Materials and methods:

The analysis of the organoleptic characteristics was carried out, for the micrographic analysis the dry plant material reduced to powder was used, the physical-chemical analysis was carried out by official AOAC methods. Four types of extracts were obtained, ethereal, dichloromethane, ethanolic and aqueous extract, in which the qualitative composition of major groups of molecules was determined by the phytochemical screening technique and the chromatographic profile of the plant species was elaborated.

Results:

The study revealed the presence of unicellular and multicellular stinging hairs, the physicochemical parameters agree with the reference values found in the main pharmacopoeias. The qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the majority presence of tannins, alkaloids, reducing compounds, sterols, flavonoids and coumarins. Additionally, the chromatographic profile revealed the presence of different spots in mobile phases mainly associated with flavonoids.

Conclusions:

The study of the quality parameters of Urtica urens L provides information for its identification and establishes the presence of certain compounds that would be responsible for the pharmacological activity attributed to its traditional use.

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