A study of the constituents of Ipomoea pescaprae L.R. Br. was made as a part of a systematic attempt to isolate anticancer compounds of natural origin. Initial extraction and fractionation of the plant material failed to yield any fractions with significant in vivo activity in the P-388 tumor system, and it was concluded that the plant is not a good source of active anti-cancer compounds.

A study of the secondary metabolites of the plant revealed the presence of β-sitosterol and a complex mixture of glycolipids. Two components of the glycolipid mixture were characterized as β-rhamno-pyranosyl-11-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid and β-fucopyranosyl-11-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid. In addition, the plasticizer bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was identified as a contaminant of certain batches of chloroform used in this work.