Abstract :
Rhus chinensis Mill. (Anacardiaceae), occurs as a deciduous tree in India, China, Korea, Japan and south eastern Asia. Its leaf decoction is used to treat haemoptysis, inflammations, laryngitis, skin rashes, snake bite, stomach-ache and traumatic fractures. The fruits and seeds are taken to relieve coughs, diarrhea, dysentery, fevers, jaundice, malaria, rheumatism, stomachache, indigestion, intestinal worms, skin diseases, vomiting and as an antitoxin. The powdered aerial parts of R. chinensis (1 kg) were extracted with methanol in a Soxhlet apparatus. The extract was concentrated in vacuum to yield a brown semisolid mass (121 g). It was dissolved in minimum amount of methanol to adsorb on silica gel for column for preparation of a slurry. The slurry was dried in air and subjected to silica gel column loaded in petroleum ether. The column was eluted with petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol in order of increasing polarity to isolate 1-heneicosanol (1), n-octacosan-9?-ol (2), benzyloxyhexadecane (3), 2-n-hexadecanyl benzoic acid (4), ?-amyrin (5), 2β,3β,22β-trihydroxylanostan-23β,25-olide (rhuslanostanolide, 6), 12-dehydrobetulinic acid 3-O-β-D- glucopyranoside (7) and oleanolic acid 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8). The structures of all the isolated phytoconstituents have been established on the basis of spectral data analysis and chemical reactions.
Keyword :
Rhus chinensis, aerial parts, chemical constituents, isolation, characterization.