A new alkaloid, saracocinaene (3 alpha-dimethylamino-20 alpha-N-methyl-N-acylamino-pregna-5, 16-diene), and two known alkaloids, saracodine and pachyaximine-A, were isolated from Sarcococca saligna. The structures of these steroidal bases were established on the basis of detailed spectroscopic techniques. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.