The effect of the ethanol extract from salviae miltiorrhizae radix (Salvia miltiorrhiza) on the microbial growht and the stability of the extracted antimicrobial material were investigated. The ethanol extract had strong growth inhibition activity (MIC, 3.13~50.0 $mu extrm{g}$/ml) against Gram-positive bacteria such as B. subtilis, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus. Among Gram-positive bacteria tested, B. subtilis was the most susceptible to the extracted substance. While the antimicrobial activity of the ethanol extract was weak (MIC, 400~800 $mu extrm{g}$/ml) to E. coli and yeasts (C. albicans, Sacch. diastaticus). The ethanol extract had bactericidal action at higher concentration than MIC against B. subtilis, while the extract had only bacteriostatic action against S. aureus. The extracted antimicrobial substance was stable in the pH range of 4.0 to 10.0, heat treatment at 121$^{circ}C$ for 15 min, and freezing and thawing