ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The genus Echinacea (Asteraceae) comprises about 10 species originally distributed in North America. Three species are very well known as they are used worldwide as medicinal plants: Echinacea purpurea, E. pallida, E. angustifolia. OBJECTIVE: To discriminate between these three Echinacea species and E. simulata by (1)H NMR-based metabolomics. METHODOLOGY: (1)H NMR and multivariate analysis techniques were applied to diverse Echinacea plants including roots and aerial parts, authentic plants, commercial plants and commercial dry extracts. RESULTS: Using the (1)H NMR metabolomics, it was possible, without previous evaporation or separation steps, to obtain a metabolic fingerprint to distinguish between species. CONCLUSION: A clear distinction between the three pharmaceutical species was possible and some useful metabolites were identified.