Plant ginsenosides

FIGURE 1.1 Ginsenosides isolated from fresh and/or processed ginseng material (roots, leaves, fruits, flower buds), including medicinal preparations based on plant material from ginseng species. Ara(p) = a-L-arabinopyranosyl Ara(f) = a-L-arabinofuranosyl Glc = p-D-glucopyranosyl Rha = a-L-rhamnopyranosyl Xyl = / -D-xylopyranosyl Ac = acetyl. 

TABLE 1.1 Distribution of ginsenosides in different plant parts (fresh, dried, and/or processed) of Panax species (Araliaceae) and Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Cucurbitaceae)... 

This ginsenoside has only been detected in trace or minute amounts by TLC from this ginseng plant part and hence the presence is questionable (Lui and Staba, 1980). 

The content of total and individual ginsenosides does not only vary between plant organs and species. In particular, the content of ginsenosides in ginseng roots also depends on growing conditions and age of the roots, and internal root size (root hairs, lateral roots, and main roots) (Christensen et al, 2006 Court et ah, 1996b Soldati and Tanaka, 1984 Wills and Stuart, 2001). 

Many t)q)es of extraction procedures have been employed for the extraction of ginsenosides from fresh or dry ginseng plant material as well as from ginseng preparations. Characteristic for most of the extraction methods is the use of methanol or ethanol or different aqueous mixtures of these two solvents, which also clearly enhance the extraction performances of these compounds compared with pure methanol or ethanol at room temperature (Anderson and Burney, 1998 Christensen et ah, 2006 Euzzati, 2004 Lou et ah, 2006a). In order to enhance the recovery of... 

TABLE 1.2 The content of ginsenosides (mg/kg fresh weight) in different root sections [diameter 0.5-2.5 mm (root hairs) 5.0-10.0 mm (lateral) 15.0-20.0 and >20.0-38.0 mm (main roots)] of fresh roots from 6-year-old Panax quinquefolium (American ginseng) plants grown in Denmark (Christensen et ai, 2006)... 

FIGURE 1.9 Ginseng roots from 6-year-old American ginseng plants (Panax quinquefo-lium) grown in Denmark with root hairs, lateral roots, and main roots. Ginseng roots within the same species may not only differ in content of ginsenosides but also in root size. 

Choi, D.-W., Jung, J., Ha, Y. I., Park, H.-W., In, D. S., Chung, H.-J., and Liu, J. R. (2005). Analysis of transcripts in methyl jasmonate-treated ginseng hairy roots to identify genes involved in the biosjmthesis of ginsenosides and other secondary metabolites. Plant Cell Rep. 23, 557-566. 

Soldati, F., and Tanaka, O. (1984). Panux ginseng Relation between age of plant and content of ginsenosides. Planta Med. 50, 351-352. 

Wang, J., Sakuma, T., Asafu-Adjaye, E., and Shiu, G. K. (1999). Determination of ginsenosides in plant extracts from Panax ginseng L. and Panax quinquefolius L. by LC/MS/MS. Anal. Ghem. 71,1579-1584. 

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