STUDIES ON THE PHENOLIC ACID CONSTITUENTS FROM CHINESE MEDICINE “SHENG-MA”,RHIZOME OF CIMICIFUGA FOETIDA L.

AIM To look for new active constituents from Chinese medicine“Sheng-ma”, rhizome of Cimicifuga foetida L. METHODS The compounds were separated and purified by chromatography on silica gel and Sephadex LH-20. Their structures were determined by spectral analysis and chemical reaction. RESULTS Eight compounds were obtained and identified as cimicifugic acid (1), esculetin (2), caffeic acid methyl ester (3), 4-O-acetyl-caffeic acid (4), sinapic acid (5), caffeic acid (6), ferulic acid (7), isoferulic acid (8). CONCLUSION Compound 1 is a new compound, and compounds 2～7 were isolated from this plant for the first time.