<i>Lig</i> nans and phenylpropanoids from the edible roots of <i>Codonopsis pilosula</i>

Chemical investigation of the edible roots of <i>Codonopsis pilosula</i> yielded a new lignan (<b>1</b>), together with twenty-nine known compounds, including twenty-one lignans (<b>2-22</b>) and eight phenylpropanoids (<b>23-30</b>). The structure of the new lignan, including its absolute configuration, was determined using a combination of extensive spectroscopic analysis, NMR and ECD calculations, and comparison with literature values. The isolated lignans and phenylpropanoids (excluding <b>1</b>, <b>20</b>, <b>21</b> and <b>28</b>) were evaluated for their antioxidant activities using ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays. Among them, compounds <b>2-6</b>, <b>18</b> and <b>23</b> exhibited strong scavenging activities in ABTS and DPPH assays with SC₅₀ values ranging from 9.73 to 47.26 <i>μ</i>M compared with the positive control L-ascorbic acid.