Three compounds were isolated from the rhizomes of Dioscorea quinqueloba and identified as $diosgenin\;3-O-{\alpha}_-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1{\rightarrow}2)-{\beta}-_D-glucopyranoside$, dioscin and gracillin by chemical and spectroscopic means.

Essential oil of the root of Angelica decursiva(Miq.) Fr. et Sav. (Umbelliferae) was investigated. Essential oil was obtained from the dried roots by steam distillation and fractionated by column chromatography. Each isolate or fraction was identified by GC, GC-MS and spectral analysis. It was found to contain ten monoterpenes such as ${\alpha}-pinene$ (7.0%) etc. Three hydrocarbons, two aldehydes, three sesquiterpenes, two sesquiterpene alcohols, one aromatic compounds, one ketone, isobonyl acetate and two lactones were tentatively identified.

Three components, fraxetin-8-glucoside, esculetin-6-glucoside and mannitol, were isolated from the stem bark of Fraxinus chiisanensis var. stenophylla, F. japonica var. intermedia and F. densata. The MeOH extract of the cortex of F. densata had the antiinflammatory activity on the carrageenin-induced paw edema in rat. The MeOH extracts of the cortex of all three Fraxinus spp. have the potent analgesic activity on the HOAc-induced writhing syndrome in mouse and the hepatoprotective activity on the $CCl_4-induced$ fatty liver in rat: protection of ballooning formation and inhibition of sGPT and sGOT increased by $CCl_4$.

To find antitumor components in the hot water extract of the cultured mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum, protein-bound polysaccharides were purified and fractionated (Fr. I-V) by DEAE-cellulose ion exchange column chromatography and Sepbarose CL-4B gel filtration. When a dose of 20 mg/kg/day of each was, i.p., injected into ICR mice, the inhibition ratios against the solid form of sarcoma 180 were $64.2{\sim}75.8%$. The antitumor component was examined for immunological activity. It increased the amount of superoxide anion released by induced macrophages in peritoneal cavity to 1.8 times and the count of hemolytic plaque-forming cells (PFC) was increased to 4.4 times as compared with those of the control group. It contained 68.6% polysaccharide which consisted of mannose, glucose, galactose, fucose and xylose and 5.1% protein consisting of 17 amino acids. The contents of hexosamine were 0.78%. The molecular weight of Fr. V that showed the highest antitumor activity was $5.8{\times}10^4$ dalton by Sepharose CL-4B gel filtration. It was named lucidan.

The methanol extract of Aralia elata root bark was found to decrease the blood glucose level in normal and alloxan-treated rats. The fractionation process confirmed positive activity in ethylacetate fraction. It is suggested that this fraction may show potent antihyperglyceimic activity through stimulation of insulin secretion.

An antihyperglycemic compound in a model of alloxan induced diabetic rats was isolated from the root bark of Aralia elata. The compound identified to be oleanolic acid $28-O-{\beta}-_D-glucopyranoside$ was active at a dose of 100 mg/kg p.o. in the rats. It also has increased the contents of liver glycogen which were lowered by injection of alloxan in the rats.

Antineoplastic activity against human gastric, colon and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines were measured in 100 extracts from 80 medicinal plants using MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method. Seventeen extracts from fourteen plants, all of which have previously been reported to have antineoplastic effect, had $IC_{50}$(50% inhibitory concentration) values of less than $230{\;}{\mu}g/ml$ in at least one of the three cell lines. Extracts from remaining sixty-six medicinal plants failed to show significant cytotoxic effect at the concentration of less than $230{\;}{\mu}g/ml$.

Neuropharmacological profile of Humulus lupulus (hop) extract was studied in mice. At doses above 100 mg/kg(i.p.), it decreased spontaneous locomotor activity and raised the nociceptive threshold in the hot-plate test. At doses above 250 mg/kg (i.p.), it increased pentobarbital-induced sleeping time and produced muscle relaxant effect. At the dose of 500 mg/kg, anticonvulsive effect against pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsion and hypothermic effect was observed.

We have concerned the action of traditional herbal medicine (THM) to relate with longevity, aging and immune, etc. Espically, we have studied on the role of intestinal bacteria on THM such as Nokyongdaebo-Tang, Bojungikgi-Tang, Ikgibohyul-Tang, Bobyulansin-Tang and Bojanggunbi-Tang. Samples of the p.o. administration of 2 g/kg for 2 weeks did not find the change transaminase activities in mice. But, Nokyongdaebo-Tang and Bojanggunbi-Tang elevated the serum glucose levels and Bojungikgi-Tang elevated the total cholesterol levels in mice. ${\beta}-Glucuronidase$ activities in mice faeces are decreased by the treatment of Nokyongdaebo-Tang, Bojungikgi-Tang, Ikgibohyul-Tang and Bojanggunbi-Tang, but increased by the treatment of Bohyulansin-Tang. Number of lactic acid bacteria in mice faeces are increased by the treatment of Nokyongdaebo-Tang, Bojungikgi-Tang, lkgibohyul-Tang, Bohyulansin-Tang and Bojanggunbi-Tang. We recognized that ${\beta}-glucuronidase$ activities and the number of lactic acid bacteria were remarkably decreased by the pretreatment of antibiotics in mice. Nokyongdaebo-Tang and Ikgibohyul-Tang at the p.o. administration of 2 g/kg significantly increased the ${\beta}-glucuronidase$ activities and Bojungikgi-Tang and Bohyulansin-Tang remarkably increased the number of lactic acid bacteria in antibiotics pretreated mice.

From the herb of Oenanthe javanica Dc. (Umbelliferae) ${\beta}-sitosteryl$ glucoside, stigmasteryl glucoside, isorhametin and hyperin were isolated and identified by chemical and spectral analysis.

From the Paeoniae Radix, gallic acid methyl ester, (+)-catechin, paconiflorin, albiflorin, paeonol, ${\beta}-sitosterol$ and campesterol, benzoic acid, oleanolic acid, hederagenin and ${\beta}-sitosterol$ 3-O-glucoside were isolated and characterized by means of spectral data. Oleanolic acid and hederagenin have been isolated for the first time from the genus Paeonia.

The anthocyanin isolated from the petals of Erythronium japonicum was elucidated as delphinidin 3-rutinoside on the basis of PPC and UV spectral evidences. To evaluate phytochemical and botanical utilization of this plant, the quantitative analysis of anthocyanin content was carried out by using the visible absorption spectra at 540nm. By the results of our experiment, it was found that the anthocyanin content of petals collected from the summit of Mt. Odae are higher than that of the lowest region. However, there is no significant difference between the anthocyanin contents of the petals collected from the east- and west-side area of the mountain.

We investigated the effects of single administration of Korean earthworm(Lamnodrilus gotai Hatai) juice (KEJ) on blood pressure and spontaneous motor activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. We report that KEJ lowered blood pressure and spontaneous motor activity in SHR.

The plant of Pedicularis resupinata var. oppositifolia(Scrophulariaceae) is described to be used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, malignant abscess (tumor), urolith and diuretics in oriental medicinal books. This study is concerned with some general pharmacological activities. It was observed that the methanol extract of the aerial part of this plant showed some effects on acute toxicity, carrageenin induced edema in rat paw, bile juice secretion and antibacterial effect. From this result it was obtained that the methanol extract revealed the antiinflammatory activity and bile juice secretion increasing effect. Thus, it was fractionated and buthanol fraction has obvious inhibition effect on edema and bile juice secretion increasing effect. The total extract showed low acute toxicity i.e., the minimum lethal dose was more than 8000mg/kg in oral administration in mice.

Brine shrimp toxicity of water extracts of twenty three crude drugs was tested by the brine shrimp bioassay. Eight crude drugs were shown to have 100% mortality in $1000{\;}{\mu}g/ml$. They were fractionated by Amberlite XAD-2 column chromatography and were tested by the brine shrimp bioassay. Methanol fraction of Rhei Rhizoma $(LC_{50}=49.60{\;}{\mu}g/ml)$ and Cantharis $(LC_{50}=54.08{\;}{\mu}g/ml)$ were shown to have potent brine shrimp toxicity in this test.