Recent findings that agroclavine strongly inhibits: lactation and that ergocornine and ergonovine induce regression or inhibition of pituitary tumor growth in rats revealed new pharmacological activities in addition to the well-known activities of ergot alkaloids. Clavicipitic acid, isochanoclavine (I) and chanoclavine (II) are newly isolated alkaloids. It was already established that tryptophan, mevalonic acid and methionine are biosynthetic precursors of ergoline, a basic structure of the alkaloids, which is formed via $4-({\gamma},{\gamma}-dimethylallyl)-tryptophan$, mediated by dimethylallylpyrophosphate: tryptophan dimethylallyl transferase. Chanoclavine-I appears to be an intermediate to agroclavine which is converted to elymoclavine. Agroclavine and elymoclavine were also found to be hydroxylated by peroxidase to setoclavine and penniclavine, respectively. Elymoclavine is converted to ergotamine and lysergic acid ${\alpha}-hydroxyethylamide$, respectively. Pyruvate and alanine were found to be incorporated into the two-carbon unit of the ${\alpha}-hydroxyethyl$ moiety of the latter. Lysergylalanine is converted to ergometrine, but not to lysergic acid ${\alpha}-hydroxyethylamide$.

A score and more kinds of molluscan shells have been used as drugs in oriental medicine. The Korean Pharmacopoeia (K.P.) contains a monograph on oyster shell "Ostreae Testa" as an official drug. A huge deposit of the fossil shell Crassostrea gravitesta eoilensis has been recently excavated in the region of Wolsung, Kyong-Sang-Buk-Do. This study was conducted to determine the applicability of the fossil shell as a substiute for Ostreae Testa, K.P. The fossil shell not only met the K.P. requirements, but also exhibited an appropriate antacid activity. Amino acid survivals were also determined quantitatively with amino acid autoanalyzer.

In order to detect constituents with similar actions to rutin in the genus Lespedeza plants growing in Korea, twelve species were collected in Chung Buk and Kyung Ki Provinces and subjected to systematic extraction. When the extract was examined for flavonoid by adding flavonoid reagents, all the species gave positive cofirmatory tests. The examination of the flavonoid consitituents by T.L.C. gave the following results: as rutin-like constituents, quercetin was detected in L. cyrtobotrya, L. maritima and L. bicolor var. melanantha and eriodictin-like constituents were detected in seven species. Of those twelve species, five species, L. cuneata, L. cyrtobotrya, L. maritima, L. bicolor var. melanantha and L. patentibicolor were found to contain kaempferol. All of them appear to contain lespedin and eriodictiol.

Korean ergot sclerotia which were collected from Agropyron semicostatum $N_{EES}$, Miscanthus sinensis $A_NDERS$ var. purpurascens $R_{END}$, M. sacchariflorus $B_{ENTH}$. et HOOK,. M. sinensis $A_{NDERS}$., Eulalia speciosa $O.{\;}K_{UNTZ}$, Themeda triandra $F_{ORSK}$. var. japonica $M_{AKINO}$, and Phalaris arundinacea L. were investigated for their alkaloid constituents. Quantitative determinations of alkaloids were carried out using a modified procedure of van $U_{RK}$ and $M_{ICHELON}-K_{ELLEHER}$ methods. The results showed that the two ergots from Agropyron semicostatum and Phalaris arundinacea contained total alkaloids up to 0.137 per cent. The alkaloids of these two ergots are mostly water-insoluble alkaloids. The ergots parasitizing Reed Canary grass was found to contain both water-soluble and water-insoluble alkaloids. The TLC and PPC tests for the ergot alkaloids from Agropyron semicostatum and Phalaris arundinacea revealed that they contain at least two alkaloids, respectively, and that the ergot from Themeda triandra $F_{ORSK}$. var. japonica has one. The lipid contents of the seven ergots ranged from 13 to 29 per cent.