**5.2 Phytochemical active principals**

The main contents of the plant are carbohydrates and saponins which have small quantities of flavonoids and tannins. Three steroidal saponins were isolated from the roots of *Asparagus africanus Lam.* [31]. Two compounds namely 2 beta-, 12 alpha-dihydroxy-(25R)-spirosta-4, 7-dien-3-one, lignan (+)-nyasol, and (Z)-(+)- 4,4-(3-ethenyl-1-propene-1,3-diyl) bisphenol) were isolated by Oketch-Rabah et al. [32] from *Asparagus africanus Lam* roots.
