Four compounds have been isolated from the roots of A. ernestii Comb. Two of them were identified as new triterpenoidal glycosides, named asernestioside A (I) and B (II). Their structures were elucidated as 3-O-[a-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1?)-b-D-xylopyranosyl]-25-O-b-D-glucopyranosyl cycloastragenol and 3-O-[a-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1?)-(3'-O-acetyl)-b-D-xylopyranosyl]-25-O-b-D-glucopyranosyl cycloastragenol, resp., on the bases of physicochem. evidence and chem. reactions. The other compounds were daucosterol and b-sitosterol.

Key words: ASTRAGALUS, SAPONINS, TERPENE, NMR SPECTROMETRY, PYRANOSE, GLUCOSE, GLYCOSIDE, TRITERPENE, RHAMNOSE, XYLOSE