Abstract

Introduction: Chachacoma, Senecio nutans is a traditional herbal remedy used in Chile for the treatment of altitude sickness. As found with other plants that may affect oxygen uptake and distribution, e.g. Rhodiola rosea, it has acquired a reputation for use as a sports supplement and has been used in Chilean health products as a value adding ingredient. It mainly grows in the wild above 3,000 meters and has been collected by the Aymara minority group as a cash crop. Local research group CIDE has been involved in establishing and evidence base for its use and characterizing and optimizing the main ingredient, acetophenone, through tissue culture cultivation. Methods: We analysed samples of Chachacoma cultivated and collected at different altitudes by NMR spectroscopy and HPTLC to assess the levels of acetophenone and establish fingerprints for the other metabolites extracted. Results: acetophenone content appears to vary at different altitudes and growing conditions and the best collected samples grew above 4000 meters at Chungara lake, however samples produced by tissue culture had similar levels of acetophenone and other metabolites to the lake collected samples. Conclusions: Tissue culture cultivation may be a way to expand and develop the Chachacoma industry for the benefit of the Aymara and other minority groups living in the high Andies.