The geographical relationship of saponin composition of Panax species has been studied extensively. Close similarity in saponin composition was observed for the plants in Eastern Himalaya, South-western China and Southern Japan. The exeptional saponin compositions were found for some plants growing near the western and southern limits of the distribution as well as that in Japan Island. Comparison of the chemical constitents of Ginseng with crude drugs which are used as a Ginseng substitute,

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... also presented. Ginseng, the famous plant drug, has been used as an expensive traditional medicine in oriental countries for more than 5,000 years. Our group has elaborated the chemical investigation of secondray metabolites of Ginseng, isolating a number of tetracyclic dammarane saponins named ginsenosides-Ra-h. [ref. 1,2] These dammarane saponins are first isolated from Ginseng, being characteristic of Panax species. The pharmacological studies on Ginseng have been centered on these saponins, disclosing a variety of physiological activities for the major dammarane saponins. [ref.2] Recently, Dr.Kitagawa et al. reported the isolation of unstable acidic malonyl-ginsenosides-Rbl , -Rb2 , -Rc and -Rd from Ginseng in relatively high yields. [ref.3,4] Ginsenoside-Ro (=chikusetsusaponin-V) which is an acidic glucuronide sapnoin of oleanolic acid (pentacyclic oleanane triterpene), has been also isolated from Ginseng. [ref. 1,2] It has been wellknown that saponins of oleanolic acid occur widely in a variety of plants, being not characteristic of Panax species.