Secondary metabolites from Basotho medicinal plants. I. Bulbine narcissifolia

The medicinal plant Bulbine narcissifolia is used by the Basotho, Griqua, a nd whites of southern Africa for wound healing and as a mild purgative. Ext raction of the powdered root has yielded acetosyringone, chrysophanol, knip holone, isoknipholone, 10,7'-bichrysophanol, and chrysalodin in addition to two new anthraquinone glycosides, knipholone-8-O-beta -D-gentiobioside (1) and chrysalodin-10-beta -D-gentiobioside (2). NMR spectroscopy was used to elucidate the structures of 1 and 2 and to show that I binds weakly to DNA .