Centaurium erythraea Rafn

C. majus (Boiss.) Druce; C. minus Moench; C. umbellatum Gilib. ex Beck; Erythraea centaurium (L.) Pers.; Gentiana centaurium L.; and others

Gentianaceae

Bitter-herb; common centaury; European centaury; feverwort

Centaurii herba

Dried flowering aerial parts

Iridoids, including approximately 2% gentiopicroside, with secoridioid glycosides including centapicrin, centauroside and swertiamarin (swertiamaroside); xanthones such as eustomin and methylswertianin; triterpenoids (e.g. amyrin, erythrodiol, oleanolic acid, sitosterol); phenolic acids (e.g. protocatechuic, hydrobenzoic, ρ-coumaric, vanillic, caffeic) and alkaloids (e.g. traces of gentianine, gentioflavine, gentianidine) (Aberham et al. 2011; Pharmaceutical Press Editorial Team 2013).

There are no systematic clinical studies available on the medicinal uses of centaury. A combination product also containing Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch and Rosmarinus officinalis