Category:TP3S

Saponins

Saponins are surfactant glycosides, i.e., they produce foams in aqueous solution and therefore are called ‘sapo’ (a Latin for soap). Plant-based crude drugs are still actively prescribed in Eastern Asia, and many of their active components are attributed to saponins. Well known examples of saponin and its aglycone include glycyrrhizin from liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis/glabra, Category:Fabaceae) used in European confectionery and Asian medicine; ginsenosides from ginseng (Panax ginseng, Araliaceae) for tonic, especially in Korea; diosgenin from wild yam (Dioscorea spp., Dioscoreaceae) for hormone replacement therapy.