ABSTRACT
The quality stability of volatile oils in Chinese materia medica (CMM) is a prerequisite to ensure its clinical efficacy and safety. At present, the quality of volatile oils from CMM is uneven. There are great differences in the quality of volatile oils of same medicinal materials from different producing areas, different manufacturers, and different batches of herbs. This review analyzes the current situation and problems of the quality control of volatile oils from CMM, and proposes countermeasures for the standardization of cultivation and variety of Chinese herbal medicines, processing process, feeding parts, extraction process, and extraction equipment, etc. At the same time, the application status and quality control of volatile oils in Chinese patent medicines were briefly analyzed, aiming to provide reference for the effective control of the quality of volatile oils from CMM and Chinese patent medicines.