牻牛兒苗科植物Geranium屬及Erodium屬之地上部做為止瀉整腸劑，有效成分為單寧類之Geraniin。麝香牻牛兒苗(E. moschatum)為在台灣新發現之馴化種。
麝香牻牛兒苗之含水丙酮萃取物，利用逆相層析膠質，分離到十七種單寧及相關化合
物，包括五種phenolcarboxylic acid及酯類：protocatechuic acid(1), gallic acid(2), methyl gallate(3),caffeic acid(4), brevifolincarboxylic acid(5)；四種 gallotannins:3-O-galloylshikimic acid(6), 3,4-di-O-galloylshikimic acid(7), 3,5-di-O-galloylshikimic acid(8), 1-O-galloyl-b-D-glucose(9)；六種ellagitannins及相關化合物：corilagin(l0), furosin(11), geraniin(12), acetonylgeraniin A(13), methyl gallate 3-O-b-D-glucoside(14), gallic acid 3-O-b-D-(6'-O-galloyl)-glucoside(15)及二種flavonoids :kaempferol(16), quercetin(17)。化合物結構係依其物理性質及核磁共振光譜而決定，並與文獻或標準品比對確認。

Erodium moschatum is a newly naturalized plant in Taiwan. From the aqueous acetone extract of the fresh herb, seventeen tannins and related compounds were isolated. They included five phenolcarboxylic acids and ester including : protocatechuic acid (1), gallic acid (2), methyl gallate(3), caffeic acid (4), brevifolincarboxylic acid (5); four gallotannins : 3-O-galloylshikimic acid (6),3,4-di-O-galloylshikimic acid (7), 3,5-di-O-galloylshikimic acid (8), 1-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (9);six ellagitannins and other related compounds which include corila-gin (10), furosin (11), geraniin(12), acetonylgeraniin A (13), methyl gallate 3-O-β-D-glucoside (14), gallic acid 3-O-β-D-(6'-O-galloyl)-glucoside (15) and two flavonoids : kaempferol (16), quercetin (17). These structures were identified on the basis of their physical date and spectroscopic evidence.