Abstract

The present work was to localize and isolate the anthelmintic substance from stem cortex of Machilis thunbergii which grows in all parts of the Korea peninsula. The dried M. thunbergii bark was extracted with a solvent mixture (Methanol: Ethyl acetate/1:1) by a Soxhlet extractor at 70C for 24 hours, and then the extract was separated into solid matter (negative wormicidal) and benzene extract (positive wormicidal) by benzene solvent. The anthelmintic action was observed on the cercaria, the liberated metacercaria and the adult of Clonorchis sinensis. On the silica gel thin layer chromatography with a spot of benzene extract in benzene solvent, nine spots were observed in iodine chamber and the spot of Rf. 0.16 value of them appeared the most strong wormicidal effect on the cercaria and the liberated metacercaria of C. sinensis. Afterward, a 0.3 g colourless solid substance which was equivalent to the Rf. 0.16 value spot was isolated from the benzene extract of 3 kg M. thunbergii stem cortex by means of silica gel column chromatography using benzene carrier, and the adult of C. sinensis was killed within 6 minutes by 0.05 percent solution of the substance.