Abstract: Two steroidal saponins were isolated from the rhizome of Paris polyphyllaSmith var. yunnanensis. Their structures were elucidated as (25R)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3β, 22α, 26-trihydroxy-furost-5-ene-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-arabinofuranosyl-(1→4)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (1, parisaponin I) and (25R)-3β, 5α, 6β-trihydroxy-7(8)-ene-spirostanol-3-O-β- D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (2, parisvietnaside A) by MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The ¹H and ¹³C chemical shifts of the compounds were assigned, and the incorrect assignments in previous literatures were corrected. Compound 2 was isolated from the plant for the first time.

Key words: NMR, chemical shift, 2D NMR, steroidal saponin, Paris polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis