The title compound (cimifugin), C(16)H(18)O(6)·0.5CH(3)OH, was isolated from the rhizome of Actaea asiatica Hara. The asymmetric unit contains two independent mol-ecules and a solvent methanol mol-ecule. The five-numbered ring adopts an envelope conformation in each molecule. Intra- and inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds stabilize the crystal structure.