(+)-Alpha-viniferin, an anti-inflammatory compound from Caragana chamlagu root

The roots of Caragana chamlagu Lamarck (Leguminosae) are used as an anti-neuralgic, anti-rheumatic, anti-arthritic, etc. in the folk medicine of Korea. An ether extract was fractionated with monitoring of the anti-inflammatory activity, and the active principle was elucidated as (+)-alpha-viniferin on the basis of spectroscopic data, including two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism spectra.