Calenduloside E (3-O-[beta-d-glucuronopyranosyl]oleanolic acid), the glucuronic acid conjugate of oleanolic acid, is a triterpenoid saponin present in a wide variety of Aralia plants, in which the content of calenduloside E is about 0.02%. A number of studies of the biological activity of calenduloside E has been reported since its first isolation by Kasprzyk and Wojciechowski. These studies indicate that calenduloside E has hypoglycemic activity and is potentially useful in the treatment of diabetes and morbid obesity. It may also be useful as a spermicidal contraceptive and as an antiarrhythmic agent. Because of its wide-ranging biological activity and low toxicity, the potential clinical use of calenduloside E has attracted much attention in recent years. Furthermore, its active metabolite, oleanolic acid, has been shown to possess analgesic, antiinflammatory, hepatoprotective, antitumor and hypolipidemic effects as well as having hypoglycemic activity.