The objective of this study was to evaluate the sedative activity of four aporphine alkaloids (APA) and nine cyclopeptide alkaloids(CPA), which had been isolated from the seeds (sanjoin) of Zizyphus vulgaris var. spinosus, and the fruits and stem bark of Zizyphus jujuba var. inermis. The assessment of sedative activity was carried out, employing a hexobarbital-induced sleeping time method in mice. When the relative sedative potency of sanjoinine-A(CPA) was given as one unit, those of nuciferine (APA), lysicamine (APA), chlorpromazine (positive control), and sanjoinine -Ahl (an epimer of sanjoinine-A) were 13, 6.5, 5, and 3, respectively. The sedatvie activities of other CPAs were much lower than those of sanjoinine-A and -Ahl, and other APAs were not active. On heat treatment, nuciferine and lysicamine were degraded into some artifacts which exhibited no sedative activity, while sanjoinine-A was converted into sanjoinine-Ahl which showed more potent sedative activity. These results suggested that nuciferine and sanjoinine-A were major sedative components of native sanjoin, and that sanjoinine-A and its epimeric artifact, sanjoinineAhl were the active principles of roasted sanjoin. It provides a scientific basis for heat-processing (roasting) of this Oriental medicine.