Abstract
Objectives : To determine the discriminative criteria for Atractylodes rhizomes, the experiment of externalinternal characteristics and physicochemical pattern analysis were performed. Methods : External characteristics was observed using stereoscope. The sectioned materials which were covered with parffin were stained by Ju's method. Physicochemical patterns were analyzed using HPLC/DAD. Results : 1. External shape of original plant : Atractylodes maaocephala and A. japonica had relatively long petioles and 3-5 parted leaves. A. macrocephala had big purple flowers whereas A. japonica had relatively small white flowers and pinnate bracts. A. lancea had sessile leaves and white flowers, and the end parts of degenerated stamens were bent. 2. External shape of herbal medicine: A. macrocephala which was fist-shaped rhizome had pa-pillate processes and the cross section was light gray and sulcate. A. japonica and A. lancea were connected-beady or tubercular rhizomes, and the cross sections were both yellow-colored white. However, the cross section of A. japonica was fibrous, the width of cortex was narro-wer than that of stele, and radial shape in cortex was rare, whereas the width of cortex in A. lancea was similar to that of stele in size, and radial shape in cortex was obvious. 3. Internal shape of herbal medicine: A. macrocephala and A. lancea did not have lignified fascicles in cortex. However, the vascular bundles and vessels of A. macrocephala were wedge shaped and radial arrangement, and vascular bundles were densely populated in stele whereas those of A. lancea were repeatedly arranged and thinly extended to cortex. A. japonica had lignified fascicles in cortex and the width of vascular bundles was conspicuously thick with narrow intervals. 4. Physicochemical pattern analysis : A. macrocephala and A. lancea contained atractylenolide I and atractylenolide Ill whereas A. japonica contained atractylenolide I, atractylenolide Ill. diacetyl-atractylodiol, compound-4, compound-5. The three species of Atractylodes rhizomes showed different chromatogram patterns. Conclusions : The results could be used as discriminative criteria for Atractylodes rhizomes and as fundamental materials to researches of further pattern analysis and biological reaction.
