A new xanthone glycoside and antioxidant constituents from the rhizomes of Swertia speciosa.

From the rhizomes of Swertia speciosa, a traditional medicinal plant from the Himalayan region of Uttaranchal (North India), a new constituent, 6-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-1-[(6-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]-9H-xanthen-9-one (8), was isolated, together with nine known compounds. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical, physical, and spectroscopic evidence. Both the acetone and MeOH extracts, as well as the known constituents ursolic acid (5) and 1,5,8-trihydroxy-3-methoxy-9H-xanthen-9-one (6) exhibited potent antioxidant activities in different biological assays (Table 2).