PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY OF GINSENG SAPONINS (I) Saponins and Sapogenins from American Ginseng Plants

The sapogenins of two-and four-year-old A-merican ginseng plants (Panax quinquefolium L.) (Araliaceae) collected in July and September were studied. American ginseng saponins (panaquilins) differ from Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) saponins (ginsenosides). The American ginseng saponins separated and named were panaquilins A, B, C, D, E-l, E-2, E-3, G-l, G-2, (c) and (d). One-dimensional thin-layer chromatography did not completely separate panaquilin mixture and were subject to misinterpretation. The panaquilins were more accurately separated and identified by the two-dimensional thin-layer method established. Some differences in American ginseng saponins were dependent upon the plant age, time of collection, and part extracted. The American ginseng sapogenin components are panxadiol (panaquilins B and C), oleanolic acid (panaquilin D) and panaxatriol (panaquilin G-l). The panaquilins E-l, E-2 and E-3 mixture contains both panaxadiol and panaxatriol. The genins of panaquilins A, (c), (d) and G-2 were not identified. In addition, ${\beta}-sitosterol$ and stigmasterol were identified from the root ether extracts.