Polyporus, officinalis

The sporophore of Polyporus officinalis, when deprived of its outer rind and dried, constitutes the official N.F. drug Agaeicus. This species grows abundantly on various species of pines, spruces and larches. 

A group of metabolites have been isolated, particularly from lichens, that may arise by condensation between the activated a-methylene of a fatty acid and the carbonyl group of oxaloacetate. Another example is agaricic acid from Polyporus officinalis, a metabolite with antibiotic properties associated with the agaricum of the Romans (see Chapter 1). 

Constit. of Polyporus officinalis. Leaflets + 1V2H20 (EtOH aq.). Anhyd. at 100 . Spar. sol. EtOH, Et20. Mp 141.5-142 . [aYl -8.84 (NaOH). 

Eburicoic acM. Formula, see eburicol C3,H,o03> Mr 470.74, needles, mp. 293 °C, [a][, -b34° (pyridine). Widely distributed Cji-triterpene carboxylic acid with eburicane skeleton from wood-rotting fungi such as Fames officinalis, Lentinus lepideus, Gloeophyllum sp., Polyporus sp. and other Aphyllophorales. E. is formed biosynthetically from eburicol that occurs in many fungi. 

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