Phytochemical investigations of Cissus javana DC., Dendrobium christyanum Rchb. f., Gastrochilus bellinus Rchb. f. Kuntze and Huberantha jenkinsii (Hook. f. & Thomson) Chaowasku led to the isolation of twenty-seven compounds, six of which were new naturally occurring compounds. From Cissus javana, three known compounds were isolated, including bergenin, stigmast-4-en-3-one, and ?-sitosterol. From Dendrobium christyanum, thirteen known compounds were identified, namely, n-eicosyl trans-ferulate, n-docosyl 4-hydroxy-trans-cinnamate, 4,5-dihydroxy-2-methoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene, moscatilin, aloifol I, gigantol, batatasin III, dendrosinen B, coniferyl aldehyde, methyl haematommate, atraric acid, vanillin and diorcinolic acid. From Gastrochilus bellinus, four new compounds, comprising three phenanthropyrans and a phenanthrene derivative, were isolated and structurally characterized. From Huberantha jenkinsii, two new alkaloids of 8-oxoprotoberberine type were isolated along with five known compounds including mangiferin, allantoin, oxylopinine,�N-trans-feruloyl tyramine and N-trans-p-coumaroyl tyramine. The structures of these compounds were determined by UV, IR, MS and NMR spectroscopic methods, and comparison of the data with literature values. Methyl haematommate (IC50 18.7 ? 2.1 ?M), n-docosyl 4-hydroxy-trans-cinnamate (IC50 4.6 ? 0.2 ?M), N-trans-feruloyl tyramine (IC50 30.6 ? 2.9 ?M) and N-trans-p-coumaroyl tyramine (IC50�0.6 ? 0.1 ?M) showed potent ?-glucosidase inhibitory activity in comparison with the drug acarbose (IC50 724.7 ? 46 ?M). N-Docosyl 4-hydroxy-trans-cinnamate at 0.212 mM also displayed 31.6 ? 4.4 %. enhancement of glucose uptake in L6 cells. Mangiferin showed moderate ?-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 253.6 ? 14.2 ?M) and recognizable cellular glucose uptake stimulatory activity (208.1 ? 10.7% enhancement at a concentration of 0.237 mM) as compared with insulin (146.6 ? 35.8 % at a concentration of 500 nM).