ABSTRACT
Quality assessment of traditional herbal medicines is of benefit not only in research but also in practice. The method of quality assessment of the Thai traditional medicine, Ayurved Siriraj Prasachandaeng, was established by using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). In HPTLC, the chromatographic fingerprints were developed; the color and the relative retardation factor (rRf) of bands were compared with those of reference markers. Likewise, relative retention time (rRt), and applied information content (f) were evaluated in HPLC fingerprints. Reference markers, gallic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid and kojic acid were used as qualitative markers in HPTLC whereas gallic acid, caffeic acid and vanillic acid were used as qualitative and quantitative markers in HPLC. Similarity of the chromatographic pattern among batches was determined by the presence of stated mathematic parameters in the range of 80 to 125 percent of the average. The HPTLC and HPLC fingerprints of three batches of Ayurved Siriraj Prasachandaeng showed similar chromatographic patterns. Such similarity showed that the productions of different batches in the recipe were consistent. Moreover, it revealed that some markers found in the recipe certainly came from various medicinal herbal components of their own recipes. In conclusion, the combination of rRf from HPTLC, and rRt and f from HPLC is the suitable method for identification and quality control of different batches of Ayurved Siriraj Prasachandaeng.