The invention relates to a new use of 20(S)-protopanoxadiol derivatives and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol derivatives, and mainly relates to a use in the preparation of medicines for treating or preventing depressive mental diseases. 20(S)-protopanoxadiol and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol are used as raw materials, and undergo oxidative cyclization to prepare dammara-20S-24(R)-epoxy-3beta,12beta,25-triol, dammara-20S-24(S)-epoxy-3beta,12beta,25-triol, dammara-20S-24(S)-epoxy-3beta,6beta,12beta,25-tetrol or dammara-20S-24(R)-epoxy-3beta,6beta,12beta,25-tetrol. Researches of pharmacological experiments show that dammara-20S-24(R/S)-epoxy-3beta,12beta,25-triol and dammara-20S-24(R/S)-epoxy-3beta,6beta,12beta,25-tetrol can obviously shorten the tail immobility time of mice in mouse tail suspension tests of a classic depression model, and can obviously shorten the swimming immobility time of the mice in mouse forced swimming model tests, so dammara-20S-24(R/S)-epoxy-3beta,12beta,25-triol and dammara-20S-24(R/S)-epoxy-3beta,6beta,12beta,25-tetraol have potential development values in the preparation of medicines for treating or preventing depressive mental diseases.