Phytochemical investigation of Sarcococca saligna by extensive bioassay-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of the pregnane-type steroidal alkaloids 1 - 15, Le. of the five new compounds 1 - 5 and the ten known alkaloids 6 - 15. The structures of the new alkaloids salignenamide C (1), salignenamide D (2), 2beta-hydroxyepipachysamine D (3), salignenamide E (4), and salignenamide F (5) were elucidated with the help of modem spectroscopic techniques, while the known alkaloids axillarine C (6), axillarine F (7), sarcorine (8), N-3-demethylsaracodine (9), saligcinnamide (10), salignenamide A (11), vaganine A (12), axillaridine A (13), sarsalignone (14), and sarsalignenone (15) were identified by comparing their spectral data with those reported earlier. Inhibition of electric-eel acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) and horse-serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1-1.8) by alkaloids 1 - 15 were investigated. These new cholinesterase inhibitors may act as potential leads in the discovery of clinically useful inhibitors for nervous-system disorders, particularly by reducing memory deficiency in Alzheimer's disease patients by potentiating and effecting the cholinergic: transmission process. These compounds were found to inhibit both enzymes in a concentration-dependent fashion with the IC50 values ranging from 5.21 - 227.92 muM against acetylcholinesterase and 2.18 - 38.36 muM against butyrylcholinesterase.