Saussurea medusa Maxim. (Compositae) is one of the most important traditional medicinal plants in Tibet and is officially listed in the Chinese Ministry of Health’s promulgated standard. The plant has been commonly used as a traditional Tibetan medicine for the treatment of anthrax, apoplexy, rheumatic arthritis and altitude sickness.

The chemical constituents of the traditional Tibetan medicine of Saussurea medusa Maxim. (Compositae) were investigated and a new flavonoid glucoside, together with 14 known compounds, was isolated. The structure of the new compound was established as 6″-O-crotonoylhomoplantaginin by using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analyses.

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Key Technology R&D Program of China.