Purpose: To screen candidate oriental herb material for antimelanogenics. Methods: Oriental herbs (n=100) were screened for mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity in vitro using the HM3KO human melanin cell line cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Cytotoxicity was assessed by a cell viability assay involving 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), Trypan Blue exclusion, and cell enumeration. Results: Tyrosinase inhibitory effects on 100 oriental herbs was evident. Of these, 11 herbs inhibited tyrosinase activity by 40% without being cytotoxic to HM3KO cells. Three herb varieties significantly decreased melanin synthesis in HM3KO cells. Conclusions: Oriental herb can have antimelanogenic effects indicating their potential for functional therapeutic use in dermatological whitening.