Effects on gross behaviour and experimental ulcers of five steroidal alkaloids of pregnane type extracted from Pachysandra terminalis (Buxaceae), which has been used in Ainu's folk medicine for gastrointestinal diseases, were investigated in mice. Pachystermine A, pachysamine A and epipachysamine A produced sedation, tremor and clonic convulsions. Pachysandrine A and spiropachysine induced only mild sedation. The alkaloids exerted preventive effects on gastric lesions induced by restraint plus waterimmersion stress. These results suggest that the alkaloids may contribute partly to traditional use of the plants for the gastrointestinal complaints. The essential oils in glandular hairs on leaves of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., L. peruvianum (L.) Mill. and L. pimpinellifohum (Jusi.) Mill. (3 cultivars each) were directly recovered by puncturing the heads of the glandular hairs with glass capillaries and analyzed by GC resp. combined GC-MS techniques. The 3 Lycopersicon species showed characteristic patterns of oil constituents with species-specific main components, definite proportions of hydrocarbons/oxygen-compounds, terpenoids/nonterpenoids and mono-/sesquiterpenes. Different cultivars within a single species were found to be homogenous in their essential oil patterns.