The plant Rhazya stricta Decsne. (Apocynaceae) is indigenous to India and Pakistan (1) but is the only Rhazya species found in the southwestern region of Iraq (2). In folkloric medicine the plant is used for the treatment of a number of illnesses such as chronic rheumatism, syphilis, sore throat, fever, cancer, and general debility (1–3). Previous investigators have isolated many pharmacologically active monomeric and dimeric indole alkaloids from this plant (4, 5). Although stemmadenine is found in many members of the Apocynaceae (6, 7), the presence of this alkaloid in the genus Rhazya has not previously been reported. We now report the isolation of stemmadenine from R. stricta and present a limited account of its antimicrobial activity. © 1988, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.