Two Thymol Derivatives from Callilepis laureola.

The characterisation of two new thymol derivatives, found in the rootstock of CALLILEPIS LAUREOLA D C (Asteraceae), is reported together with that of a new ketol which was formed as a degradation product during the investigations.

Toxicity of Callilepis laureola.

Callilepis laureola, which has been found to cause fatal liver necrosis in the Black population of Natal, is widely used as a herbal medicine. Chemical extraction has yielded a product, identified as atractyloside, which is responsible for the nephrotoxic and hypoglycaemic effects of Callilepis laureola. The hepatotoxic principle has not yet been isolated.