The dissertation is devoted to a comprehensive comparative pharmacognostic study of the herb of Valeriana stolonifera and Valeriana collina, the development of quality control methods for medicinal plant raw materials, the production of substances based on them, and the investigation of the pharmacological activity of these substances. The study was conducted taking into account the principles of sustainable development, as it substantiates the feasibility of using the aerial parts of plants as an alternative and renewable raw material base, which contributes to the preservation of natural populations of valerian, rational use of biological resources, and reduction of anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems. Using identification reactions, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and spectrophotometric methods, the presence of the following groups of biologically active substances was established in the studied species V. stolonifera and V. collina: flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids, polysaccharides, volatile constituents of the aerial parts and essential oils of the underground organs represented by mono- and sesquiterpenes, phytosterols, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Their qualitative composition and quantitative content in plant raw materials and thick extracts were determined, which made it possible to form the phytochemical profiles of the studied species. Morphological studies (macro- and microscopy) revealed significant interspecific differences in rhizome type, number of leaf blade segments, stem height and branching, inflorescence structure, and flower morphometry; V. stolonifera is characterized by the presence of stolons, whereas V. collina lacks them. Both species have dorsiventral leaves and a hypostomatic leaf type with anomocytic stomata, but differ in the degree of epidermal cell sinuosity, density of simple and glandular trichomes, and the structure of petiole vascular bundles. Technological parameters of the raw material (loss on drying, bulk density, volume and true density, porosity, and water absorption coefficient) were determined, and draft quality specifications were developed for the aerial parts of both species. A technological scheme for obtaining thick extracts from the aerial parts of both species was developed: extraction with 70 % ethanol at a ratio of 1:5 by maceration for 24 h followed by standing for 7 days. In the thick extracts, arabinose, fucose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose, fructose, sorbitol, inositol, mannitol, and sucrose were identified; the total sugar content was 63.9 mg/g (V. stolonifera) and 52.9 mg/g (V. collina), while free sugars were 68.9 and 77.6 mg/g, respectively. The phytosterol content in the thick extracts was 8599.73 and 4544.04 µg/g, respectively; γ-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, and their acetates were identified. Fatty acids in the extracts were studied by GC-MS: the total content in V. stolonifera exceeded that in V. collina by 2.8 times (7922.71 vs 2823.20 µg/g), with high contents of palmitic (2323.01 and 877.67 µg/g), linoleic (929.42 and 481.95 µg/g), and α-linolenic (1751.63 and 917.61 µg/g) acids, respectively. Pharmacological in vivo studies showed that the thick extracts belong to toxicity class V (GHS Category 5); the thick extract of V. stolonifera is practically non-toxic (LD₅₀ ≥ 5000 mg/kg), while for V. collina LD₅₀ is 2000–5000 mg/kg. Both extracts exhibited hepatoprotective activity by reducing ALT, AST, and ALP levels: silymarin decreased ALT by 28.25 %, AST by 21.17 %, and ALP by 44.87 %; V. collina extract by 17.45 %, 17.02 %, and 28.75 %; and V. stolonifera extract by 29.36 %, 21.17 %, and 56.59 %, respectively. Antioxidant activity by the DPPH assay in the range of 200-1000 µg/mL was 87.16 ± 1.0 % for V. stolonifera and 85.30 ± 1.3 % for V. collina (lower than ascorbic acid – 96.37 ± 0.7 %). Antimicrobial studies showed pronounced activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, moderate activity against Escherichia coli (p = 0.2017); V. stolonifera was significantly more active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (p = 0.0113), whereas V. collina more strongly inhibited Candida albicans (p = 0.0080). The results of phytochemical screening and pharmacological testing substantiate the feasibility of using of the aerial parts of V. stolonifera and V. collina as full-fledged medicinal plant raw materials for the development of standardized phytosubstances and phytomedicines with antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and antimicrobial activity, as well as the feasibility of expanding the raw material base using aerial parts of the plants, considering their high phytochemical potential, proven safety, and compliance with modern quality requirements and the principles of sustainable development.
