• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.128-136
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• 2016

Tiny leaf fragments were found in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which were compiled about 500 years ago. The records describing the detailed process of compiling the Annals indicate that silk bags packed with the powders of 'Cheongung' and 'Changpo', which have been used as traditional herbal medicines in the northeast Asian countries such as China and Japan as well as Korea, were put in the wooden storage boxes together with the volumes of the Annals. However, there is no record that parts of plants were used in the process of compiling the Annals. The botanical origin of leaf fragments was identified as Ligusticum sinense 'Chuanxiong' by the analysis of trnK of chloroplast DNA as well as the examination of leaf surface with SEM. The comparative analysis of trnK sequences showed that the chloroplast DNA haplotype of 'Tocheongung', a triploid species cultivated in Korea, was identical with Cnidium officinale, but different from L. sinense 'Chuanxiong'. The molecular results provide a new suggestion on the botanical origin of crude drugs used as 'Cheongung', which has been disputed in Korea.