[Quality control for huoxiang-zhengqi liquid]

Area of Science:

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Pharmacognosy
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Huoxiang-zhengqi Liquid is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine.
• Its efficacy relies on the quality of its herbal components.
• Standardization of herbal medicines is crucial for consistent therapeutic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key botanical ingredients in Huoxiang-zhengqi Liquid.
• To quantify the total content of specific active compounds, magnolol and honokiol.
• To establish quality control parameters for Huoxiang-zhengqi Liquid.

Main Methods:

• Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) was employed for the identification of Rhizoma Atractylodis, Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis, and Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae.
• High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was utilized for the quantitative determination of magnolol and honokiol.

Main Results:

• TLC successfully identified the presence of Rhizoma Atractylodis, Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis, and Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae.
• The total content of magnolol and honokiol was determined to be no less than 1.9 mg/ml.
• HPLC analysis demonstrated high average recovery rates (104.4% for magnolol, 103.3% for honokiol) with low relative standard deviations (RSD 1.23% and 0.91%, respectively).

Conclusions:

• The analytical methods (TLC and HPLC) are suitable for the quality control of Huoxiang-zhengqi Liquid.
• The established content of magnolol and honokiol provides a benchmark for ensuring the quality and efficacy of the preparation.
• This study contributes to the standardization of traditional Chinese medicine formulations.