(±)-Pheharmines A-B, two pairs of racemic alkaloids with a morpholino[4,3,2-<i>hi</i>]β-carboline core, from the roots of <i>Peganum harmala</i>.

Two pairs of unprecedented β-carboline-phenylpropanoid heterogeneous alkaloids, (±)-pheharmines A-B (1-4), characterized by a morpholino[4,3,2-<i>hi</i>]β-carboline core with two chiral centers, were isolated from the roots of <i>Peganum harmala</i>. The structures, including their absolute configurations, were identified using spectroscopic analyses and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The biosynthetic hypothesis for the formation of pheharmines A-B was proposed. Compounds 1-4 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against HL-60 cell lines.