The effects of several Chinese crude drugs including Crocus sativus, Carthamus tinctorius and Ginkgo biloba on Ca²⁺ transmembrane influx in rat aorta rings were studied. Resting ⁴⁵Ca uptake was not markedly altered by these drugs, whereas the ⁴⁵Ca influxes evoked by norepinephrine (1.2µmol/L ) and KC1 ( 100 mmol/L ) in rat aorta rings were significantly inhibited by Crocus and Carthamus in a concentration-dependent manner, not by Ginkgo. The results indicate that extracellular Ca²⁺ transmembrane influx through receptor-operated Ca²⁺ channels and potential-dependent Ca²⁺ channels can be blocked by Crocus and Carthamus.