Plant of Withania somnifera Dunal belongs to family – Solanaceae and called as Ashwagandha. Plants are medically used in Ayurvedic system of medicine for the treatment of antioxidant, anticancer, therapeutic, antiinflammatory, leucoderma, antitumor, etc. Plants had a potential role in cancer therapy in the growth inhibitory of human tumor cells, anticarcinogenic activity, skin carcinoma, antioxidative and chemo-protective activity in humans. Leaves and roots are also used in memory loss, depression, infertility and in babies tonic. Seeds yielded a water soluble sugars as D-glucose and D-mannose in 1:3 molar ratio by GLC, TLC, column and paper chromatography. Periodate oxidation was carried by sodium metaperiodate as oxidant and periodate consumption and formic acid liberation was determined from seeds polysaccharide. It consumed 3.12 moles of periodate with simultaneous liberation of 1.36 moles of formic acid per equivalent moles of each anhydrohexose sugar units after 60hrs. Presence of (1→4)-β-type and (1→6)-α-type linkages which were obtained from methylation results are also confirmed by periodate oxidation studies. Formic acid is to be originating from the reducing as well as nonreducing terminal unit of D-glucose unit. It is concluded from the above facts that the probably one branch occurs 8 sugar hexoses repeating unit in the seed polysaccharide structure of Withania somnifera Dunal (Ashwagandha) which were obtained from methylation results was confirmed by periodate oxidation technique.
