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An Orobanchaceae plant Cistanche tubulosa (SCHENK) WIGHT (Kanka-nikujuyou in Japanese), which is one of the authorized plant resources as Cistanches Herba in both Japanese and Chinese Pharmacopoeias, is a perennial parasitic plant growing on roots of sand-fixing plants. The stems of C. tubulosa have traditionally been used for treatment of impotence, sterility, lumbago, and body weakness as well as a promoting agent of blood circulation. In recent years, Cistanches Herba has also been widely used as a health food supplement in Japan, China, and Southeast Asian countries. Here we review our recent studies on chemical constituents from the stems of C. tubulosa as well as their bioactivities such as vasorelaxtant, hepatoprotective, and glucose tolerance improving effects.

Four new acylated phenylethanoid oligoglycosides, kankanosides J(1) (1), J(2) (2), K(1) (3), and K(2) (4), were isolated from stems of Cistanche tubulosa (Orobanchaceae) together with isocampneoside I (5). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. Among them, 3-5 were found to inhibit D-galactosamine-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes.

Three iridoid glycosides, kankanosides L, M, and N, and two acyclic monoterpene glycosides, kankanosides O and P, were isolated from fresh stems of Cistanche tubulosa (Orobanchaceae) together with eight iridoid glycosides, five acyclic monoterpene glycosides, three phenylpropanoid glycosides, and four lignan glycosides. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence.

Four new iridoid glycosides, kankanosides A (1), B (2), C (3), and D (4), a chlorinated iridoid, kankanol (5), and an acyclic monoterpene glycoside, kankanoside E (6), were isolated from the methanolic extract of dried stems of Cistanche tubulosa (SCHRENK) R. WIGHT (Orobanchaceae) together with 16 known compounds. The structures of these new compounds (1-6) were determined on the basis of the chemical and physicochemical evidence.

A New phenylethanoid glycoside, named tubuloside E (I), and a new neolignan glycoside, dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol γ'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (II), were isolated from the whole plants of Cistanche tubulosa (SCHRENK)HOOK. f. (Orobanchaceae), together with dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (III), syringalide A 3'-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (IV), isosyringalide 3'-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (V), (+)-syringaresinol O-β-D-glucopyranoside (VI), (+)-pinoresinol O-β-D-glucopyranoside (VII), liriodendrin (VIII), 6-deoxycatalpol (IX), 8-epiloganic acid (X), 20-hydroxyecdysone (XI), 8-hydroxygeraniol 1-β-D-glucopyranoside (XII) and syringin (XIII). The structure of tubuloside E (I) was established as 2-(3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-2-O-acetyl-4-O-p-coumaroyl-β-D-glucopyranoside on the basis of chemical evidence and spectral data.

Four new phenylethanoid glycosides, tubulosides A (II), B (VI), C (VII) and D (VIII), have been isolated from Cistanche tubulosa (SCHRENK) HOOK. f. (Orobanchaceae), together with four known phenylethanoid glycosides, echinacoside (I), acteoside (III), acteoside isomer (IV) and 2'-acetylacteoside (V). The structures of II, VI, VII and VIII were established on the basis of chemical evidence and spectral data. Compounds VII and VIII possess a triacetylrhamnosyl moiety as the terminal sugar.