Gynostemma pentaphyllum cultivation in Sydney, Australia and its comparison with products from China.

Abstract: This paper describes the cultivation, harvesting, processing and storage of G. pentaphyllum in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in comparison to its native China. The dry weight yield of Sydney-grown plants (0.50 kg/m²) was in the range of the yield obtained in China (0.4-0.5 kg/m²). The percentage of extracted material was also higher for the locally grown material (28.5%) in comparison to G. pentaphyllum products grown in China (10.3-18.1%). Thin layer chromatography revealed a different saponin profile for the local material compared with commercially available products, indicating its potential for use in quality control. These results suggest that Australia may be a new growing location for this traditional Chinese medicine.