Researchers from the Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have invented a preparation technology of extracting total alkaloid extraction from Gansu whin. They have received a Chinese invention patent for the technology on May 9.

The total alkaloid is extracted as follows. First the raw material of Gansu whins is extracted by heating in water, then condensed under a reduced pressure, acidified, and loaded on a cation column for ion exchange adsorption. Next water and alcohol solution containing water are used to flush the column which is then eluted by an alkaline alcohol solution. Finally the alkaline alcohol eluate is collected, condensed, and dried to obtain the product.

With the technology, the production rate of total alkaloid extraction is high, the extraction cost is low, the technology is simple, the preparation process is safe, and the whole extraction technology is suitable for industrial production.

Gansu whin is widely distributed in Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Sichuan, Yunnan, etc. Studies on its biological active components show that its main biological active components are total alkaloid, namely swainsonine, thermopsine, sparteine, anagyrine, etc. This kind of alkaloid has the pharmacological effects of anti-cancer, anti-arrhythmia, anti-ulceration, raising leukocytes, etc. As the main alkaloid in Gansu whin, swainsonine can inhibit α-Manase, kill tumor cell and has the biphasic effect of immunoregulation. In recent years, it has attracted considerable attention as a new anticancer drug.