Chemical Studies on Crude Drug Processing

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Crude drug processing was known to be an important segment of Chinese traditional medicine. As a part of our chemical characterization studies on crude drug processing, we have been working on Rehmanniae Radix and Licorice Root. Rehmanniae Radix is classified into three types named in Japanese as sho-jio (fresh root), kan-jio (dried root), and juku-jio (steamed root), which are used in different manners in Chinese traditional madicine. We have compared the chemical constituents of differently processed Chinese, Korean and Japanese Rehmanniae Radix and have so far elucidated four new iridoids (rehmaglutins A, B, C and D), a new chlorinated iridoid glucoside (glutinoside), three new inone glucosides (rehmaionosides A, B and C), and a new monoterpene glucoside (rehmapicroside), which were isolated from Chinese Rehmanniae Radix (kan-jio, identified as Rehmannia glutinosa, and juku-jio). We have also found that rehmaionosides A and B relax the normal tone in mouse bladder strips and inhibit the noradrenaline induced contraction in the urethral strips.Licorice Root is one of the best known Chinese crude drugs and often used in many Chinese medicinal preparation after various procession. We have isolated eight new triterpene oligoglycosides (licorice-saponins A3, B2, C2, D3, E2, F3, G2, H2) from Chinese Licorice Root and have elucidated their chemical structures.