In a bioassay guided search for antimycobacterial compounds from higher plants, the root extracts of Elecampane (Inula helenium L.; Asteraceae) and Sweet Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa Pursh.; Asteraceae) were chemically investigated for their active constituents. Chromatographic fractions of root extracts of l. helenium, which exhibited significant activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, provided the known eudesmanolides alantolactone, isoalantolactone, and 11 alpha H, 13-dihydroisoalantolactone. Peracid epoxidation of alantolactone and isoalantolactone provided 5 alpha-epoxyalantolactone and 4(15) alpha-epoxyisoalantolactone, respectively and oxidation of alantolactone with OsO4 gave 11,13-dihydroxyalantolactone. Active fractions from R subtomentosa contained the known alloalantolactone and 3-oxoalloalantolactone. The structures of the above compounds were established by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR techniques as well as spectral comparison with previously reported data. The molecular structure of 5 alpha-epoxyalantolactone was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Eleven natural and semisynthetic eudesmanolides were tested in a radiorespirometric bioassay for activity against M. tuberculosis. 5 alpha-Epoxyalantolactone and encelin from Montanoa speciosa showed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 8 and 16 micrograms ml-1, respectively. Alantolactone, isoalantolactone and its 4 alpha, 15-epoxide, 1,2-dehydro-3-epi-isotelekin and alloalantolactone gave MICs of 32 micrograms ml-1. All other compounds showed MIC values of 128 micrograms ml-1 or higher.