<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Phyllanthus urinaria</jats:italic> Linnea (Euphorbiaceae) is a commonly used traditional medicinal plant in oriental countries and has been reported to possess various biological activities. Previously, the acetone extract and some pure compounds from <jats:italic>P. urinaria</jats:italic> were found to suppress herpes simplex virus (HSV). In this study, another two pure compounds were isolated from acetone extract of <jats:italic>P. urinaria</jats:italic> and were tested for their <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> anti‐HSV‐1 and HSV‐2 activities. The results showed that hippomanin A impeded HSV‐2 but not HSV‐1 infection. Corilagin, however, inhibited neither HSV‐1 nor HSV‐2 replication. The similarity between corilagin and hippomanin A in structure, but difference in antiviral activity, therefore, merit further investigation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.