Analyzing the effect of height on the medical compounds of Urtica diocia L. in Ramsar region

Urtica Diocia L. from the Urticaceae family is a plant with herbal value and of a noticeable distribution in the north of Iran. The growth of different plants in various natural environments and ecosystems seems to be affected by various factors including the height (from the sea level). To investigate the effect of height on the medical compounds of Urtica Diocia L. in its natural habitat, three regions at different heights from the sea level (zero, 800 and 1800 m) were selected. The samples were randomly gathered from each region at three time-intervals and after being dried their essences were extracted with the help of a Clivenger using water-distilling method. For determining the medical compounds of the essences, the GC-MS and GC machines were used. The analysis of variance was carried out in the form of the random-full-block design. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the percent of the effective materials obtained from the samples in the selected heights; however, such difference was not significant regarding the samples from the same height. From among the eight essences analyzed in the study, the Phytol compound had the highest percentage. It indicated that an increase in the height resulted in a decrease in the percent of the medical compounds. The lower heights could be regarded as the most appropriate height for producing effective medical materials the studied effective materials considering their humid climate and the fertile soil.