Rapid advances in chromatographic procedures, spectroscopic techniques and pharmacological assay methods have resulted in the discovery of an increasing number of new and interesting natural products from terrestrial and marine sources. The present volume contains comprehensive reviews on some of the major advances in this field which have taken place in recent years. The reviews include those on: novel metabolites from marine gastropods; the chemistry of marine natural products of the Halenaquinol family; secondary metabolites from Echinoderms and Bryozoans; triterpenoids and aromatic compounds from medicinal plants; chemistry and activity of sesquiterpenes from the genus Lactarius; the chemistry of bile alcohols; antifungal sesquiterpene dialdehydes; annonaceous acetogenins; nargenicin macrolides; and lignans and diarylheptanoids. Tropane alkaloids and phenolides formed by root cultures are also reviewed. Articles on natural Diels-Alder type adducts, the use of computer aided overlay for modelling the substrate binding domain of HLADH, applications of 170 NMR spectroscopy to natural product chemistry and the role of biological raw materials in synthesis are included. Volume 17 provides material of interest to natural products chemists.