Effects of different drying methods on quality of Gastrodiae Rhizoma / 中国中药杂志

Different drying methods, including drying in the sun, sulphur fumigation, hot air drying, microwave drying, infrared drying and various coupling techniques,were used to dry fresh Gastrodiae Rhizoma. Characteristics, extracts and the contents of active components of all samples were compared to investigate the effects of different drying methods on quality of Gastrodiae Rhizoma. The results showed that the characteristics of the samples would be better with use of sulphur fumigation, hot air drying, and hot air-microwave drying. Different drying methods had little effects on extracts. Among them, the extract content was higher after hot air drying. The stilbene glycosides would transformation and the contents of Gastrodiae Rhizoma polysaccharides would decline with use of sulphur fumigation, microwave drying and infrared drying. In the comprehensive analysis of characteristics, content of active components, production cost and other factors, hot air drying or hot air-microwave drying was recommended as the first choice.

Research situation of effects of sulfur fumigation on quality of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Sulfur fumigation (SF) is a universal phenomenon in primary processing of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in modern times. In the process, fumigation, sulfur or both of them act on the TCMs. Some active components of TCMs change quantitatively or qualitatively during the processing. At the same time, the sulfur dioxide and heavy metal would remain and cause a serious influence on quality and future development of TCM. This article reviews the chemical compositions change after SF to study the change law and their influence on quality. This article provide references for SF in TCMs' processing for a better and safer quality.

Research development of harmful substances and its harm of traditional Chinese medicine after sulfur fumigation / 中国中药杂志

Sulfur fumigation, which is traditional method for preservation, pest control, insecticide and sterilization, has long been widely used in processing and storage and played a positive role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As some businesses sided pursuit of profit, abused and repeated use of sulfur fumigation, have resulted in a large number of harmful residues, such as sulf dioxide (SO2) and harmful heavy metals, which brings a significant impact and danger on human health. This article summarizes the sulfur species and the sulfur fumigation methods and analyzes the harmful substances in TCM after sulfur fumigation, to provide a reference of the choice of species for the sulfur, the optimization of sulfur fumigation process and the standardized processing of TCM after sulfur fumigation.

Effects of different processing methods on effective components and sulfur dioxide residue in Gastrodiae Rhizoma / 中国中药杂志

The contents of adenosine, gastrodin, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, parishin and sulfur dioxide residue were compared in differently-processed Gastrodiae Rhizoma to provide the basis for a reasonable processing method of Gastrodiae Rhizoma. The analysis was performed on a Merck Purospher STAR column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 μm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) under gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL x min(-1). The eluates were detected at 270 nm, and the column temperature was 35°C. The content of adenosin, gastrodin, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, 4-hydroxy-benzaldehyde and parishin in processing of boiling or sulfur-fumigated were lower than that of in processing of steaming. Furthermore, the sulfur dioxide residue of sulphur-fumigated groups exceed 400 mg x kg(-1). This stable and reliable method will contribute to the quality control of different processed Gastrodiae Rhizoma.

Effect of different processing methods on active ingredient contents and sulfur dioxide residue in Astragali Radix / 中国中药杂志

To compare the differences of the active ingredient contents and the sulfur dioxide residue in Astragali Radix before and after sulfur fumigation and provide a basis for establishing an alternative processing method. Astragali Radix, harvested at the same time in Longxi Gansu, were processed with different methods. high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the contents of the active ingredients in Astragali Radix and the revised method of the pharmacopoeia of China in 2011 was applied to determine the sulfur dioxide residue. The results show that the three-fold sulfur-fumigation group has the highest level of astragaloside IV and the dried sulfur-fumigation group with 10% water has the lowest level; the content of calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside is the highest in naturally dried group and the lowest in the group of sulfur fumigating for 3 times; the sulfur dioxide residue of all sulfur-fumigation groups exceeds certain limit significantly and the group of sulfur fumigating for 3 times reaches the highest level.