2007 Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 67-71
The color of Geranium Herb, which is a quite popular folk medicine for intestinal disorders such as diarrhea, was investigated for the quality evaluation by means of colorimeter. The antidiarrheal effect of Geranium Herb is considered to be due to tannin, which is a kind of polyphenols. On various Geranium Herb, we examined the correlation between the total polyphenol content and color of both the powder and water extract treated with the iron (III) chloride TS. As the result, we found that Geranium Herb with a higher total polyphenol content tended to show lower color index L* value in the water extract treated with the iron (III) chloride TS. In addition, the total polyphenol quantity was high, while L* value was low in the foliar part. On the other hand, total polyphenol quantity was low, while L* value was high in the stem part. Therefore, when the effect of total polyphenol is expected, Geranium Herb with a low ratio of stem part is thought to be of good quality, and it is considered that color index L* value of the Geranium Herb water extract treated with the iron (III) chloride TS is available in the quality evaluation for Geranium Herb.
