Five cytostatic sesquiterpenes, desoxo-narchinol-A (1), nardosinone (2), debilon (3), nardosinonediol (4) and kanshone A (5), were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Nardostachys chinensis (Valerianaceae). The steric structure of 1 was determined by nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) and the
The activity-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract of the rhizomes and roots of Nardostachys chinensis led to the isolation of two new sesquiterpenoids, narchinol B (8) and narchinol C (9), along with 10 known compounds, ursolic acid (1), nardosinone (2), pinoresinol (3), desoxo-narchinol A (4),