Four new alkaloids - aervine (10-hydroxycanthin-6-one), methylaervine (10-methoxycanthin-6-one), aervoside (10-β-D-glucopyranosyloxycanthin-6-one), and aervolanine (3-(6-methyoxy-β-carbolin-1-yl)propionic acid), and also the known alkaloids canthin-6-one and 3-(β-carbolin-1-yl)propionic acid have been isolated from the herb Aerva lanata Juss. Their structures have been established on the basis of chemical and spectral characteristics. © 1991 Plenum Publishing Corporation.