Cytokines are polypeptides which possess various biological properties affecting. host defense function and response to disease. Inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis $factor-{alpha}$(TNF-${alpha}$), interleukin(IL)-1 and IL-6 induce inflammation, fever, hypotension and pain when injected into animals or human subject. When glial cell cultures were prepared from neonatal mice or rats, astrocytes were reported to produce these inflammatory cytokines to viral infection, lipopolysaccharide(LPS), or cytokines. The purpose of this study was to investigate the regulatory effect of these cytokines secretion from primary cultures of rat astrocytes. Substance P(SP) can stimulate secretion of TNF-${alpha}$ from astrocytes stimulated with LPS. Sesim-Tang significantly inhibited the TNF-${alpha}$ secretion by astrocytes stimulated with SP and LPS. IL-1 has been shown to elevate TNF-${alpha}$ secretion from LPS-stimulated astrocytes while having no effect on astrocytes in the absence of LPS. We therefore also investigated whether IL-1 mediated inhibition of TNF-${alpha}$ secretion from primary astrocytes by Sesim-Tang. Treatment of Sesim-Tang to astrocytes stimulated with both LPS and SP decreased IL-1 secretion significantly. The secretion of TNF-${alpha}$ by LPS and SP in astrocytes was progressively inhibited with increasing amount of IL-1 neutralizing antibody. Furthermore Sesim-Tang inhibited the IL-6 secretion by astrocytes stimulated with SP and LPS. The inhibitory effect of inflammatory cytokines by Sesim-Tang, observed in this study, might reflect an antiinflammatory activity and a reduction of various-type pains, fever etc. in the central nervous system.