Seven diterpenes, four polyacetylenes, a lipid glycerol, and two sterols were isolated from the methylene chloride fraction of the root of Aralia cordata. Their chemical structures were determined as (-)-pimara-8(14),15-dien-19-oic acid (2), pimaric acid (3), (-)-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (4),
Bioactivity-guided fractionation, based on the DNA topoisomerase inhibitory activity, lead to the isolation of five compounds (1-5) from the methylene chloride extract of the roots of Aralia cordata Thunb. (Araliaceae). These compounds were identified as ent-pimara-8(14), 15-dien-19-oic acid (1),