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[Analysis on constituents of traditional Chinese medicine galamina]
Lianju Yang1, Zhijie Zhang, Raorao Li
1Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. yanglianju@163.com
Objective:
To analyze constituents of traditional Chinese medicine galamina, and provide basis for the quality control of galamina.
Method:
Polarization microscope and electron probe were adopted for a qualitative and quantitative analysis on microscopic appearance and micro-area constituents of galamina. Fourty-two elements contained in galamina were determined by the plasma mass-spectrometric method. Zinc oxide, the major constituent of galamina samples, was detected using the pharmacopeia method.
Result:
The micro-area analysis on galamina samples showed that galamina is mainly constituted by various mineral particulates such as hydrozincite, smithsonite, zinc oxide and dolomite in a loose texture. It is also found that there are many counterfeit galamina sold in the market, marked by a high lead content in natural galamina samples.
Conclusion:
Galamina is a mineral aggregation of multiple natural mineral substances, but those sold in the market has many quality problems. Therefore, a fast method shall be established to identify the authenticity of galamina and a standard shall be set to control harmful elements contained in galamina. It is suggested to conduct in-depth studies on excessive harmful elements contained in galamina medicinal materials.
