Steroid saponins of aerial parts of Paris tetraphylla A. -Gray and of underground parts of Trillium tschonoskii Maxim

In contrast to the dried rhizomes of Paris polyphylla SM., the dried aerial parts of Paris tetrphylla A. GRAY contained predominantly pennogenin rhamnosyl-chacotrioside (I). From the methanol extracts of fresh underground parts of Trillium tschonoskii MAXIM., dioscin (III) and methyl proto-dioscin (IV) were isolated and any pennogenin glycosides and the related compounds, which were found in Trillium kamtschaticum, could not be obtained. The ratio of yields of III to IV from the dried materials was reverse to that from the fresh ones, and the homogenate of the fresh materials was extracted only to give III. The results may support the claim that III is considered to be a secondary glycoside.