Saponins of Chinese Sanchi-Ginseng

This well-known Chinese traditional crude drug which consists of the roots of P. notoginseng cultivated in Yunnan has been used as a tonic and a hemostatic. Recently, it has attracted much attention because of its action in preventing and curing coronary disease. Several Ginseng dammarane saponins, Rb (1.62% yield), Rd (0.32%), Re (0.51%) and Rgi (2.07%) have been isolated from this drug, while the oleanolic acid saponin C-V (= ginsenoside-Ro) could not be detected (85, 88, 89). 

Saponins of P. japonicus Rhizomes (Japanese Chikusetsu-Ninjin and 

Chikusetsu-ninjin, the rhizome of P.japonicus which grows wild throughout Japan has been used as a stomachic, expectorant and antipyretic in traditional medicine. 

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. 

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