Abstract Eight new cycloartane triterpenoids (1–8), along with eight known analogues (9–16), were isolated from the roots of Cimicifuga foetida L. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and acidic hydrolysis. All of the new compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines (HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7 and SW480), and compound 2 showed inhibitory activities with IC50 values raging from 2.61 to 3.32 μM.