Acanthopanax sessiliflorum of family of Araliaceae, Korean wild plant was first described by T. $N_{AKAI}$ in 1909. Although Acanthopanax has been formerly classified by 2 genera, 8 species, but it could be rearranged by 1 genus, 7 species. A. sessiliflorum among 7 species was distributed almost all over the country and A. senticosus was available mainly in the northern part and distribution of A. senticosus was coming down southward alongside Mt. Taibaik and Mt. Sobaik from North. A. chiisanense was mainly distributed over the southern part in the middle area, and the other 4 species were rarely distributed in limited places.

In vivo antioxidant activities were screened over 30 kinds of crude drugs which are most frequently prescribed in oriental medicine. Of these, only Ginseng Radix, Cimicifugae Rhizoma, Zingiberis Rhizoma(steam dried), Alismatis Rhizoma, and Liriopes Tuber were shown to be positive in the activity.

21 herbal drugs registered in K.P. III were tested for contamination of fungi and isolation of aflatoxin producible strains. Initially contaminated fungi were Aspergillus group (41.28%) and Penicillium (47.26%) and the other fungi were contaminated somewhat. The most frequent isolation of Aspergillus group was Cnidii Rhizoma and that of Penicillium was Piperis Fructus nigri. Cnidii Rhizoma was the most contaminated drug and Cassiae Cortex was the least among them. Aspergillus flavus was isolated from 10 samples and Aspergillus parasiticus was detected in Glycyrrhizae Radix, Phellodendri Cortex. Aspergillus ochraceus was isolated from only Scutelariae Radix, and Fusarium nivale was isolated from Cnidii Rhizoma and Torreya Semen. None of Aspergillus and Penicillium was detected in only Coptidis Rhizoma. No strains of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus isolated from were produced aflatoxin.

Both wild peony and cultivated peony demonstrated a slight effect and tranquilizer of anti-convulsion on the strychinine and picrotoxine but the wild plant was more effective. The methanol extract of cultivated peony root demonstrated a weak effect of muscle loosening but its mixture with water extractable fraction did not have this effect in contrast to the case wild type whose methanol extract mixture with water extractable fraction still retained a strong anti-convulsional muscle loosening effect. Therefore, it is concluded that wild peony root has more analgesic and muscle loosening effect than the cultivated counterpart has.

This study was undertaken to search for a new antihypertensive or hypotensive agents in natural crude products in Korea. Betula schmidtii Regel, a tree belonging to the Betulaceae family, is cultivated for the most part of our country, and their cortecies or tree milk has been used as folk remedy, which exerted good antiinflammatory effect on rheumatic fever, arthritis or rheumatism. The rats were treated with several extracts from Betula schmidtii Regel, that is, extracts of water, methanol from inner cortecies, extracts of ether, methanol, hexane, chloroform or butanol from outer and total cortecies. In this experiment, we measured the blood pressure and heart rate in anesthetized rats, and atropine, diphenhydramine, phentolamine, propranolol, epinephrine, hexamethonium and hydralazine were pretreated prior to Betula extracts to clarify the mechanism of the hypotensive action. The results of the experiment were as follows; 1. BOIE(Betula outer cortex water-insoluble extract) and BICE(Betula inner cortex chloroform extract) elevated the blood pressure and heart rate. 2. BIME(Betula inner cortex methanol extract), BIBE(Betula inner cortex butanol extract) and BIWE (Betula inner cortex water extract) significantly lowered the blood pressure and heart rate. 3. With the pretreatment of hydralazine, the hypotensive effect of Betula schmidtii Regel was significantly blocked. From the above results, it is suggested that the hypotensive effect of Betula schmidtii Regel is due to the direct vasodilation of blood vessel.