Chem. Pharm. Bull. 53(9) 1126—1130 (2005)

species. It is distributed in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas. It is represented in Pakistan by 8 genera and 22 species. The genus Zygophyllum consists of about 100 species, distributed in deserts and steppes from Mediterranean to Central Asia, South Africa and Australia. In Pakistan it is found in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces. The genus Zygophyllum represents the largest genus in the family Zygophyllaceae. Some of the plants belonging to genus Zygophyllum are used in folk medicine. Leaves, stems and fruits of Zygophyllum coccineum are used as the drug ‘Kammun Quaramany’. This drug is active against rheumatism, gout, asthma and hypertension and is also used as a diuretic, antihelmenthic and antidiabietic agent. Extracts from Zygophyllum dumosum (BOISS.) are used in Egypt to treat rheumatism, gout, asthma and hypertension. The leaf juice of Zygophyllum simplex acts as a skin cleanser. It was also reported for the horny patches on skin in the North Africa and Arabia region. In a previous investigation quinovic acid, saponins and tannins have been found in the leaves, stem and roots of Zygophyllum coccineum. Our current study led to the isolation of two new triterpenoidal saponin with the known constituent 3-O-[b-D-glucopyranosyl]-b-sitosterol which was first time isolated from this plant. Herein, we describe their isolation and structure elucidation.