Saponins of plants of Panax species collected in Central Nepal, and their chemotaxonomical significance. III.

Abstract

Panax pseudo-ginseng subsp. pseudo-ginseng has a carrot like root with a small rhizome. It was shown that the saponin composition of roots and rhizomes of this subspecies collected in Tibet and China was extremely poor. From the roots and rhizomes collected in Central Nepal, (specimen-PNct), only a small amount of an oleanolic acid saponin, beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolate (2) was isolated together with a polyacetylene-alcohol, panaxynol (3). In another specimen (specimen-PNs), also collected in Central Nepal, two oleanolic acid saponins, stipleanoside R2 (4) and chikusetsusaponin IV (5) were detected. No dammarane saponin was identified in either specimen. P. pseudo-ginseng subsp. himalaicus (Subsp-H) has a big rhizome with a small round root. From rhizomes and roots of this subsp. collected in Central Nepal (specimen-HNct), a fairly large amount of dammarane saponins, ginsenosides-Rb1 (6), -Rd (7), -Re (9) and -Rg1 (10), gypenoside XVII (8), notoginsenoside-R1 (11), majonoside-R2 (12) and pseudo-ginsenoside-F11 (13) were isolated, while no oleanane saponin (oleanolic acid saponin) was identified in this subsp. Based on the present and previous studies, medicinal evaluation and chemogeographical correlation of Himalayan Panax spp. are discussed.