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Table 3 Comparison of herbal drugs with different methods for “loss on drying” or “water” content and their essential oil contents in European Pharmacopoeia and Chinese Pharmacopoeia

From: Quality standard of traditional Chinese medicines: comparison between European Pharmacopoeia and Chinese Pharmacopoeia and recent advances

European Pharmacopoeia

Chinese Pharmacopoeia

Latin name

Methods

Limits

Contents of essential oil

Latin name

Methods

Limits

Contents of essential oil

Traditional Chinese medicines in both EP and ChP

 Andrographis Herba

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 10.0%

Not included

Andrographis Herba

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Angelicae Dahuricae Radix

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

Angelicae Dahuricae Radix

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 14.0%

Not included

 Angelicae Pubescentis Radix

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 10.0%

Not included

Angelicae Pubescentis Radix

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 10.0%

Not included

 Angelicae Sinensis Radix

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

Angelicae Sinensis Radix

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 15.0%

≥ 0.4%

 Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 100 mL/kg

≥ 9 mL/kg

Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma

Water (100–105 °C until Δma ≤ 5 mg)

≤ 15.0%

Not included

 Aucklandiae Radix

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤12.0%

Not included

Aucklandiae Radix

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Citri Reticulatae Epicarpium et Mesocarpium

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 13.0%

Not included

 Eucommiae Cortex

LD (105 °C)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

Eucommiae Cortex

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Ligustici Chuanxiong Rhizoma

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 8.0%

≥ 3.5 mL/kg

Chuanxiong Rhizoma

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

 Ligustici Radix et Rhizoma

LD (105 °C)

≤ 12.0%

≥ 5.0 mL/kg

Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 10.0%

Not included

 Lycii Fructus

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 11.0%

Not included

Lycii Fructus

Water (80 °C until Δm ≤ 5 mg)

≤ 13.0%

Not included

 Magnoliae Biondii Flos Immaturus

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 100 mL/kg

≥ 14.0 mL/kg

Magnoliae Flos

Water (GC)

≤ 18.0%,

≥ 1.0%

 Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 11.0%

Not included

Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 15.0%

Not included

 Magnoliae Officinalis Flos

LD (105 °C)

≤ 11.0%

Not included

Magnoliae Officinalis Flos

Water (reduced pressure (≤ 2.67 kPa) at room temperature for 24 h)

≤ 10.0%

Not included

 Moutan Cortex

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 11.0%

Not included

Moutan Cortex

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 13.0%

Not included

 Paeoniae Radix Rubra

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

Paeoniae Radix Rubra

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Persicariae Tinctoriae Folium

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 7.0%

Not included

Polygoni Tinctorii Folium

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Piperis Longi Fructus

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 11.0%

≥ 6.0 mL/kg

Piperis Longi Fructus

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 11.0%

Not included

 Polygoni Orientalis Fructus

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

Polygoni Orientalis Fructus

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Zanthoxyli Bungeani Pericarpium

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 100 mL/kg

≥ 15 mL/kg

Zanthoxyli Pericarpium

Not included

Not included

≥ 1.5%

Other herbal drugs in both EP and ChP

 Allii Sativi Bulbi Pulvis

LD (105 °C)

≤ 7.0%

Not included

Allii Sativi Bulbus

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Anisi Stellati Fructus

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 100 mL/kg

≥ 70 mL/kg

Anisi Stellati Fructus

Not included

Not included

≥ 4.0%

 Belladonnae Folium

Not included

Not included

Not included

Belladonnae Herba

Water (100–105 °C until Δma ≤ 5 mg)

≤ 13.0%

Not included

 Capsici Fructus

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 11.0%

Not included

Capsici Fructus

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Caryophylli Flos

Not included

Not included

≥ 150 mL/kg

Caryophylli Flos

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 12.0%

Not included

 Foeniculi Amari Fructus

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 100 mL/kg

≥ 40 mg/kg

Foeniculi Fructus

Not included

Not included

≥ 1.5%

 Foeniculi Dulcis Fructus

Water (toluene distillation)

≤ 80 mL/kg

≥ 20 mg/kg

Foeniculi Fructus

Not included

Not included

≥ 1.5%

 Lini Semen

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 8.0%

Not included

Lini Semen

Not included

Not included

Not included

 Myrrha

LD (105 °C, 2 h)

≤ 15.0%

Not included

Myrrha

Not included

Not included

≥ 4.0% for natura myrrh, ≥ 2.0% for colloidal myrrh

  1. LD loss on drying
  2. a Δm: the difference in the mass of the sample between two consecutive weighings