Bioassay-guided fractionation by 1,1-diphenyl-2-dipicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging test of polar extracts of some Italian Aconitum species (A. napellus subsp. tauricum, A. napellus subsp. neomontanum, A. paniculatum, A. vulparia) led to the isolation of 13 flavonol glycosides: quercetin 3-O-(6-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside-7-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (1), kaempferol 3-O-(6-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside-7-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (2), quercetin 3-O-(6-trans-p-coumaroyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside-7-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (3), kaempferol 3-O-(6-trans-p-coumaroyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside-7-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (4), quercetin 7-O-(6-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-alpha-rhamnopyranoside-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside (5), kaempferol 7-O-(6-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-alpha-rhamnopyranoside-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside (6), kaempferol 7-O-(6-trans-p-coumaroyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-alpha-rhamnopyranoside-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside (7), kaempferol 3-O-beta-(2"-acetyl)galactopyranoside (8), kaempferol 3-O-beta-(2"-acetyl)galactopyranoside-7-O-alpha-arabinopyranoside (9), quercetin 3-O-beta-(2"-acetyl)galactopyranoside-7-O-alpha-arabinopyranoside (10), quercetin 3,7-di-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (11), kaempferol 3,7-di-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (12) and quercetin 3-O-beta-glucopyranoside-7-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (13). Their antioxidant activity (AA) was determined by measuring free radical scavenging activity by DPPH test and the coupled oxidation of beta-carotene and linoleic acid assay. The results showed that 5 is the most active compound in the DPPH free-radical scavenging test (IC(50) 1.9 microM) while in the coupled oxidation of beta-carotene and linoleic acid assay compound 1 has the highest inhibitory ratio after 1h (58.9%). Some structure-activity relationships on the AA were obtained.