Phenolic Compounds from Caesalpinia sappan

Introduction: Caesalpinia sappan L., a traditional ingredient of food and beverages in South East Asia, was investigated for its chemical constituents. Methods: The compounds were isolated by column chromatography and their chemical structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and confirmed by comparison of their NMR data with literature data. Results: Repeated column chromatography of the EtOAc-soluble fraction from the heartwood of C. sappan resulted in the isolation of sappanchalcone (1), caesalpiniaphenol G (2), and quercetin (3). Conclusion: Three phenolic compounds have been successfully isolated from C. sappan.