The lipid fraction of Pseudostellaria heterophylla contains, in addition to palmitic and linoleic acid, the 1-monoglyceride of the latter and a new compound that was deduced from its spectral properties (ms, 1D and 2D ¹H- and ¹³C-nmr spectra) and proved by synthesis to be 3-furfuryl pyrrole-2-carboxylate [1]. The complete nmr assignments of this compound were determined. As part of our continuing interest in the chemistry of Chinese herbal medicines (1-3), we have undertaken a phytochemical examination of the roots of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax ex Pax et Hoffm. (Caryophyllaceae), which is also known as t'aitzu-shen, tai-ti-shen, hai-erh-shen, taishisan, or lesser ginseng (4). This drug has a long history of use in Chinese herbal medicine as a pediatric and geriatric tonic in much the same way that ginseng (Panax ginseng) is used by adults (5). In contrast to the extensive investigations of ginseng, however, very little research has been carried out on this drug. Japanese researchers (6) have examined the amino acid and sugar content of several Pseudostellaria species including P. heterophylla, while a Chinese group (7) has determined its trace element composition. Korean investigators have included a related plant, Pseudostellaria pallibiniana, in their phytochemical survey of the Caryophyllaceae (8) and have recently isolated therefrom isovitexin, a flavone-C-glycoside (9). The importance of P. heterophylla in China is further demonstrated by recent studies on its natural availability (10) and cultivation (11).