The present disclosure relates to methods and compositions for in vitro cultivation of species of Swertia, e.g. Swertia chirata (Ham.). The disclosure provides culture media comprising Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal culture medium, plant hormones preferably selected from the group consisting of benzyladenine (BAP), gibberellic acid (GA.sub.3), and auxins, and other additives, e.g. sucrose and agar. Preferably, auxins are selected from the group consisting of indole acetic acid (IAA), indole butyric acid (IBA), and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Individual plant hormone concentrations are preferably from about 0.5 mg/L to about 5.0 mg/L. The disclosure provides methods of in vitro cultivation of Swertia chirata comprising contacting preferably axillary bud and/or shoot apex explants with an initiation medium comprising a modified MS basal culture medium, BAP, IAA, IBA, and NAA to produce a primary explant, contacting the primary explant with a shoot propagation medium comprising, a modified MS basal culture medium, BAP, GA.sub.3, and IAA to produce a secondary explant, contacting a secondary explant with a rooting medium comprising a modified MS basal culture medium, IAA, IBA, and NAA. The methods and compositions of the invention are capable of inducing extraordinarily rapid in vitro propagation of Swertia chirata. The methods and compositions of the disclosure may be useful for conservation of this threatened species as well as producing bulk quantities, e.g. gram, kilogram or more, of plant material for medicinal

The present invention relates to a process for the synthesis of racemic nerol oxide i.e. 3,6-dihydro-4-methyl-2-[2-methyl-1-propenyl)-2H-pyran from monoterpene alcohol nerol i.e. cis-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-diene-1-ol.

The present invention relates to a novel synthetic process for the enriched preparation of substituted R(+).beta.-benzyl-.gamma.-butyrolactone (1) as shown in the drawing wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 independently or in combination represent the following groups: i.e. R.sub.1.dbd.R.sub.2.dbd.H, --OC.sub.nH.sub.2n+1 (where n=1 to 8); R.sub.1, and R.sub.2 together represents --O(CH.sub.2).sub.mO-- (where m=2 to 4) ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to an improved process of analytical and quantitative isolation of withaferin-A from Withania somnifera (Sanskrit: Ashwagandha, English: winter cherry) and other plants and products therefrom, said method comprising steps of selecting most appropriate extraction medium composition, with extraction solvent system consisting of a defined admixture of water and alcohol in a range of proportion of alcohol within a narrow range of (methanol, ethanol etc.) (preferably 60% alcohol and 40% water) for the dry plant material and from 60% to 80% alcohol in the alcohol-water mixture for fresh plant material, the invented extractant composition leading to better/improved yields and accurate quantitative estimations of withaferin A existent in planta or in materia, selecting effective state of the tissue particularly use of the fresh materials improving yields, providing logistic benefits of isolations and diagnosis, and according several other advantages including technological, economic, preventing contaminations etc., the said method being valuable and advantageous for standardization of botanicals, metabolomic characterization of plants particularly chemotypes, analyzing metabolic transitions under physiological, genetical, environmental and biotic perturbations.

The present invention relates to an efficient method for the extraction of high stability, superior quality, value added, standardized, ready-to-use saffron pigments and flavor concentrate, the process comprising steps of mixing saffron with one food-grade solvent or a combination of more than one food graded-solvents, macerating and agitating the mixture with continuance protection from light condition, centrifuging the macerated mixture to remove undesirable fibrous plant material, cooling the centrifuge immediately, lyophilizing the cooled centrifuge under reduced pressure to obtain crude material, isolating the concentrate by column chromatography, and obtaining brilliant orange color shining saffron pigments and flavor concentrate with recovery of about 95%, and use of the saffron pigments and flavor concentrate of range between 0.05 to 3% in food, pharmaceutical, and allied industries for flavor, and color.