A study of the iridoid glycosides of Mentzelia decapetala (Pursh.), Urban and Gilg, yielded five new compounds: 7-chlorodeutziol (3), loasaside (10), strictoside (13), deeapetaloside (12), and --ß-glucosyl decaloside ( 14), whose structures were elucidated by spectral and chemical means. In addition, three known iridoid glucosides were isolated: mentzeloside (deutzioside) (1), decaloside (2) and sweroside (11).A preliminary study of an ethanolic extract of Mentzelia decapetala (Pursh.) Urban and Gilg. (Loasaceae) showed it to exhibit hypotensive activity. A phytochemical investigation yielded choline, which was the active principle, as well as the inactive constituents, scopoletin, rutin and eight iridoid glycosides (1). The iridoids (fig. 1) are the subject of this paper. Of these, mentzeloside 539