ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the chemical constituents of the rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong and discuss the significance of first discovery of ginsenosides from the plant. Methods The compounds were isolated and repeatedly purified by column chromatographies such as macroperous resin, Sephadex LH-20, silica gel, and preparative TLC as well as semi-preparative RP-HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties, NMR, and MS spectral analyses. Results Three ginsenoside compounds were isolated from the n-butanol extracts of rhizomes of L. chuanxiong, and their structures were identified as (20S)-ginsenoside Rh1 (1), (20R)-ginsenoside Rh1 (2), and (20R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (3). Conclusion Ginsenosides are isolated from the genus Ligusticum (Umbelliferae) for the first time, it is of great significance for clarifying pharmacodynamic material basis of the rhizomes of L. chuanxiong. These results also provide the reference data for further verifying the relevance of plant evolution and traditional efficacy between L. chuanxiong and Panax ginseng.