Abstract: Six compounds including five nitrogen - containing compounds and one possible artifact have been isolated from the ethanol extract of Brachystemma calycinum, a folk medicine in Yunnan Province. Their structures were identified as brachystemoside A (1), which was a new compound , together with five known compounds namely methyl L - pyroglutamate (2), adenosine (3), 2 - minaline (4), 3' - furfuryl -pyrrole- 2 - carboxylate (5) and ethyl a - D - glucopyranoside (6) by spectral and chemical means respectively.

Key words: Caryophyllaceae