[Quick identification of scullcaps in different geographical origins using clustering analysis method and infrared...

Based on the infrared fingerprint spectra, scullcap samples from 15 geographical origins were clustered into 6 classes with principal component analysis. The classification was related to their geographical origins and weather. In the same class, chemical components of scullcaps are similar to each other, which can be considered as the criterion of evaluating the quality of scullcaps. 43 geographical origins were predicted with radial basis function, which was demonstrated to be a powerful ANN method in discrimination. The classes of scullcaps can be distinguished by the method. The method can be used to class and identify geographical origins of scullcaps. It is one of the methods in the quality control of traditional Chinese medicines.