Ten dihydroxy- and trihydroxy triterpenes, viz., four taraxastanes : faradiol, heliantriol B₀, heliantriol C and arnidiol; two lupanes : calenduladiol and heliantriol B₂; two oleananes : maniladiol and longispinogenin; and two ursanes : brein and uvaol, isolated from the nonsaponifiable lipids of the flower extracts of Compositae plants were evaluated with respect to their anti-inflammatory activity against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation in mice. All the triterpenes were found to possess marked inhibitory activity. The 50% inhibitory dose of these compounds with respect to TPA-inflammation (1 μg) was 0.03-0.2 mg/ear.