Gesho, Rhamnus prinoides Lâ€™Herit (Rhamnaceae) is a shrub or tree which can bernup to 6 m tall. It is cultivated in Ethiopia for use as an ingredient in the making of thernhome brewed drinks-Telia and Tej.rnPhytochemical investigations of the leaves of this plant resulted in the isolation andrncharacterization of the bitter prinicple- a naphthaenic lactone glucoside named geshoidin,rnin addition to three anthraquinones, a pre-anthraquinone and a flavonol. These compoundsrnare chrysophanol (1), physcion (2), musizin (19), emodin (3), rhamnocitrin (40) and /3-rnsorigenin-8-0-/3-D-glucoside (68). Acetylated and methylated derivatives as well asrnhydrolysis products of the glucoside and the permethylated compound are alsorncharacterized. These include|6-sorigenin-8-0-/3-D-glucoside-peracetate(69), /3-sorigenin-8-rn0-/3-D-glucoside-permethylate (70) , /3-sorigenin (22) and /3-sorigenin-l -methylether (71),rnrespectively. Compounds 2 and 3 have been isolated previously from the fruits of R.rnprinoides. 19 and 40 have not been reported from this plant while 68 is a novel naturalrnproduct ,rnBased on spectroscopic data, two possible explanations are offered for the upfieldrnchemical shift of the peri hydroxyl proton in 68. A sensory panel concluded that compoundrn68 is a bitter principle in the leaves of Gesho. At least 1% of the dry leaves of Geshorncontain this bitter component