In the course of a phytochemical study of the bitter tonic plant, small centaury (Centaurium erythraea), six methoxylated xanthones (1,5-hydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,5,6-trimethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,5,6,7-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,5,6,7,8-pentamethoxyxanthone,
Small centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafin.) is a herbal species with a long use in traditional medicine due to its digestive, stomachic, tonic, depurative, sedative and antipyretic properties. This species is reported to contain considerable amounts of polyphenolic compounds, namely xanthones and