E. coli (K-12 W1485) was grown in M9 minimal medium containing ginseng saponin (10-3%-2%) and found that the cells grew most rapidly in the presence of 10-1% saponin. The cells, harvested at the early exponential phase, were transferred to the minimal medium containing 10-1% saponin plus 14C-labelled saponin (0.03 ${mu}$Ci) and the incubation was continued at 37$^{circ}C$ for 20 minutes and the cells were fractionated into the outermembrane, innermembrane and cytosol fraction. Radioactivity data showed that the most radioactivity was detected in the innermembrane. The activity of succinate dehydrogenase of the cells grown in the above saponin medium was significantly higher than that of the cells grown in ordinary minimal medium. No significant difference of the glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was observed between the two groups. It was also found that the saponin stimulated glucose uptake and biosynthisis of lipids and proteins of the cells. Incorporation of 14C-leucine into the protein fraction of the cell was also accelerated.