Himalayan Panax

Saponins of Rhizomes of Himalayan Panax, P. pseudo-ginseng subsp. 

P.pseudo-ginseng Wall, subsp. himalaicus Kara and its varieties var. angustifolius (Burk.) Li and var. bipinnatifidus (Seem.) Li (79) [Himalayan Panax, wild in the Eastern Himalayas). 

There are several other Panax species for example, PJaponicus C. A. Meyer var. stipuleanatus H. T. Tsai et K. M. Feng etc. is found in southern China from Yunnan to Tibet, and seems to be closely related to Himalayan Panax 80),... 

A Chinese-Japanese cooperative chemical study 104) of the rhizomes of this plant from Zhaotong, Yunnan at 2100m led to isolation of the oleanolic acid saponins, G-IV, C-IVa, and C-V in yields of 3.4, 2.8, and 3.1%. In this respect, then Zhujie-shen is very similar to Japanese Chikusetsu-ninjin. However, the composition of the dammarane saponin fraction of Zhujie-shen which consisted of Rd (0.04% yield). Re (0.12%), Rgi(0.15%), Rg (0.05%), NG-R2(0.02%, see Chapter VIII-2, Table II) and pseudo-ginsenoside-Fii (PG-Fn, 0.04%, an ocotillol-type saponin from leaves of Himalayan Panax and also from leaves of American Ginseng, see Chapter IX-2), was significantly different from that of the Japanese plant. 

From the rhizomes of Himalayan Panax collected near Khosa (1800m) in western Bhutan, the oleanolic acid saponins, C-IV, -IVa and -V were isolated in yields of 0.3, 0.6 and 7.25%, respectively (107, 108). One of the major dammarane saponins of Ginseng, Rb was also isolated in somewhat higher yield (1.05%) than from Ginseng roots. 

Leaves and stems of American Ginseng furnished Rb3, Rd, Re, Rg and PG-Fii in yields of 0.1,0.2, 0.1, 0.1 and 0.1%, respectively 116,117). Since the saponin content of the stems should be very low (see Chapter VI-3, Table X), the leaves must produce these saponins in remarkably high yield. It is noteworthy that the saponin composition of American Ginseng leaves is very similar to that of Himalayan Panax, although the saponin composition of the underground parts of these species were significantly different (see Chapter VIII). 

Kondo, N., J. Shoji, and O. Tanaka Studies on the Constituents of Himalayan Ginseng, Panax pseudo-ginseng I. The Structures of the Saponins (1). Chem. Pharm. Bull. (Japan) 21, 2702 (1973). 

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