Buddleja officinalis is a deciduous early-spring flowering shrub native to west Hubei, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China. In the UK it is occasionally grown as a nectar source for vanessid butterflies such as the Peacock on emergence from hibernation.
B. officinalis largely resembles the commoner B. davidii in shape and size, growing to < 2.5 m in height. The inflorescences are honey-scented mauve panicles, shorter (< 8 cm) than those of davidii, and more conical. The leaves are lanceolate, < 15 cm long, softly pubescent and rich green in colour (grey underneath).
Four flavonoids (1-4), a phenylethyl glycoside (5), and a phenylpropanoid glycoside (6) were isolated from the flowers of Buddleia officinalis (Loganiaceae). Their structures were determined by chemical and spectral analysis. Among the isolated compounds, luteolin (1) and acteoside (6) exhibited the most potent antioxidative activity on the NBT superoxide scavenging assay.