Analysis of Salvia Coccinea from Jamaican Populations

This is the first report of a phytochemical investigation of Jamaican populations of a local folk medicinal plant Salvia coccinea (Lamiaceae/Labiatae). Apart from the presence of β-sitosterol, phytochemical profiling of the aerial parts yielded compounds other than those previously reported from Indian and Italian populations. The triterpenes betulinic acid and betulin, the phytosterols β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, as well as the steroid precursor squalene were isolated. The structures of the compounds were established by comparison of NMR spectroscopic data with those reported in literature.