Phenolic profile of wild Achillea millefolium L. obtained by HPLC-DADESI/MS.

Achillea millefolium L., commonly known as yarrow, belongs to Asteraceae family and it is very common in mountain meadows, pathways, crop fields and homegardens. It is widely used in Europe as an herbal remedy to treat digestive problems, diabetes, hepato-biliary diseases and amenorrhea, being also consumed for its antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties [1,2]. Some studies related A. millefolium medicinal properties to the presence of phenolic compounds, namely flavonoids and phenolic acids [3,4]. In the present study, the phenolic profile of wild A. millefolium from the Northeastern Portugal was evaluated by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS, after extraction with methanol:water (80:20, v:v). Twenty eight different compounds were identified: ten phenolic acids, in which 5-O-caffeolyquinic and 3,5-O-dicaffeolyquinic acids were the main compounds; eight flavones, namely different glycosylates forms of apigenin, being apigenin acylhexoside the major flavones; and ten flavonols, with quercetin derivatives as main compounds. Overall, this study reveals that A. millefolium is an important source of bioactive molecules, namely phenolic compounds that could be related to its pharmaceutical and ethnobotanical uses.