ChemInform Abstract: A New Anthraquinone Glycoside from the Roots of Plumbago zeylanica

Plumbago zeylanica Linn (Fam. Plumbaginaceae) known as "ch itrak" is a useful medicinal plane. Its roots are used to improve digestion, also used in piles, anasarca, diarrhoea and skin di seases• Earlier work recorded the presence of plumbagin, ./3-sitosterol, droserone, zey lanone and ellipt inone• The benzene-ethyl acetate fraction of .the roots of this plant on repeated column chromatography yielded compound 1 as yell ow crystals, mp, 230°C and droserone 2 as orange needles, mp 179°C and reddish brown crystals of zeylanone 3 m.p. 21 0°C. Identification of droserone 2 and zeylanone 3 was done by comparison of their spectral data with those given in li terature.