The alkaloids of Sceletium tortuosum (Mesembryanthemaceae) exhibit important pharmacological properties and are used for the treatment of psychiatric and psychological conditions, including depression, anxiety, drug dependence, bulimia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The all-liquid technique of high-speed countercurrent chromatography provides an excellent tool for the rapid isolation of these alkaloids in high yields. (C) 2011 Phytochemical Society of Europe. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.