Lithocarpus litseifolius (sweet tea) is a medicinal and edible plant rich in flavonoids and essential nutrients, with potential as a hepatoprotective beverages and natural sweetener. Although widely cultivated across several provinces in China, the quality and consistency of its raw material remain poorly regulated. To address this, 163 samples (n ≥ 18) from 7 main producing regions were analyzed for 22 functional compounds, 4 stable isotope ratios, and 49 multi-element to discriminate cultivation practices and geographical origins. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) successfully generated prediction models across two cultivation regions. Integrating 8 machine-learning algorithms with multi-level data fusion identified 6 key variables-caffeine, Rb, Ce, δ¹⁵N, Sr, and 3"-O-acetylphlorizin. Five base learners built on these variables were then combined via soft-voting ensemble learning, yielding an optimal origin classifier with 100.00% accuracy. Additionally, the study delivered the first comprehensive analysis of quality variations in sweet tea and identified seven primary influenced environmental factors, offering insights into cultivation strategies and quality formation mechanisms.

Driven by increasing demand in the health and wellness industry, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) agriculture currently faces significant challenges related to supply–demand imbalances and continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs). Intercropping and crop rotation can mitigate yield decline and environmental stress by improving microclimates and rhizosphere ecology. However, there is still a lack of bibliometric synthesis within this research area. To analyze research hotspots and evolutionary trends, 192 articles on the intercropping and crop rotation of medicinal plants were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection (1998–2025), including databases such as the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and the Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI). The results revealed a steady increase in publication volume over time. China emerged as the most prolific contributor (93 articles), while the United States occupied a pivotal position in the global collaborative network, achieving a high centrality of 0.90. Research hotspots in this field have evolved from an early emphasis on plant yield and quality toward the mechanisms for alleviating CCOs, interspecific interactions within the rhizosphere microbiome, and the ecological management of soil health. Keyword bursts indicate that “microbial community” and “carbon” have emerged as the current research frontiers. To clarify the micro-mechanisms by which intercropping and crop rotation patterns mitigate or prevent CCOs, future research should prioritize the integration of multi-omics approaches to resolve molecular interactions within the “microbe–plant–soil” nexus. Key priorities include the development of functional Synthetic Microbial Communities (SynComs) and the establishment of comprehensive evaluation systems for ecological cultivation. Furthermore, aligning these models with global climate neutrality strategies would facilitate the balance between high-quality medicinal production and ecosystem stability.

Published in 1856, Catalogus Medicamentorum Sinensium stands as the earliest known modern pharmacological work in existence. Compiled by the Russian scholar Alexander Tatarinov during the 19th century, this groundbreaking study systematically documented and identified the botanical origins of 495 Chinese medicinal materials procured from Beijing, supplemented with plant specimens collected in China. It represents the first application of modern scientific nomenclature, combining Latin binomial names with specified medicinal parts, for the systematic classification of Chinese medicinal materials. This research conducted a comprehensive analysis of the cataloged substances through meticulous examination of relevant literature, archival records, and reference materials. By using methods such as materia medica verification, data analysis, etc., the information of the listed drugs was verified, classified, organized, and examined, and compared with the origins recorded in modern standards or specialized works. The compendium documented 495 medicinal entries(including 33 duplicate medicinal materials), comprising 396 botanical, 35 mineral, 40 zoological, and 24 other substances. This book identified a total of 190 Chinese medicinal materials whose origin was consistent with that recorded in the 2020 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China or Chinese Materia Medica. There were 76 cases with completely different origins. Another 189 cases had their origins not fully identified, but only partial information was marked. Lastly, there were 40 cases that were either untested or could not be matched with current Chinese medicinal materials. The research results indicate that this book is the first in modern times to use Linnaean binomial nomenclature to name the origin of Chinese medicinal materials. It laid the foundation for subsequent research on the origin of Chinese medicinal materials and established the methods and annotation formats for such research. It has been subsequently adopted and referenced by subsequent TCM researchers both in China and abroad. The publication of this book can be regarded as a historical turning point in the evolution of the definition of the origin of Chinese medicinal materials from traditional to modern times. It has advanced the description of the name and reality of Chinese medicinal materials in the form of text and pictures to the definition method using modern natural classification systems and labeled with biological Latin names, which is a pioneering work. This research can provide a reference for sorting out the development process of modern research on the origin of Chinese medicinal materials.

Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. is widely used in clinical practice due to its pharmacological efficacy. Maleic hydrazide (MH) is commonly applied to promote biomass accumulation, yet its effects on chemical composition and pharmacological efficacy remain poorly characterised. Here, field trials in two production regions compared untreated plants with those exposed to graded MH concentrations (80-, 160-, and 320-fold dilutions for the Hebei region; 60-, 120-, and 240-fold dilutions for the Zhejiang region). MH significantly increased yield and rhizome weight while elevating Indole-3-acetic acid, Starch, and Water-soluble polysaccharides. Conversely, key bioactive constituents, including Atractylenolide I, Atractylone, and Chlorogenic acid, declined significantly. Metabolomic profiling revealed increases in specific amino acids and reductions in oligosaccharides, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry showed a broad decrease in volatile components. Pharmacological analyses further suggest that A. macrocephala without MH treatment may exhibit superior laxative activity. Collectively, MH applications enhance the yield of A. macrocephala but concurrently lead to a deterioration in its quality.

Weilian is a commonly used medicinal herb in clinical practice, mainly derived from cultivated Coptis chinensis Franch. Its key functional compounds, such as berberine, copstine, palmatine, and epiberberine, exhibit varying concentrations across different regions due to genetic and environmental factors. In this study, we combined excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (EEMs) with chemometrics to explore a rapid detection method for evaluating Weilian quality. For production area classification, decision tree model achieved an accuracy rate of 94.74%. For predicting the content of four alkaloids, support vector regression (SVR), random forest (RF), and partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were employed. Among the four alkaloids content predictions, the SVR model demonstrated high accuracy for berberine (RPD = 3.72, R2 = 0.93), copstine (RPD = 3.56, R2 = 0.92), palmatine (RPD = 2.61, R2 = 0.85), and epiberberine (RPD = 2.48, R2 = 0.83). This study offers a rapid method based on EEMs and chemometrics, providing a promising tool for Weilian quality assessment.

Codonopsis Radix (CR) is commonly utilized as a food medicine homology plant in various Asian countries. However, in recent years, the use of CR has been impacted by issues such as confusion regarding its species and geographical origins, which has impacted its quality and commercial value. The research on discrimination strategy and chemical composition differences for CR from different species and origins remains a dearth. In this study, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was employed for comprehensive analysis of CR to identify 133 specialized metabolites and 36 oligosaccharides. Following a comparison of 650 samples of various species and origins of CR through untargeted metabolomic analysis, 10 differential markers were identified. Subsequently, UPLC-ELSD was used to quantitatively analyze the monosaccharides and oligosaccharides in different CR. The quantitative results indicated significant differences in the levels and ratios of specialized metabolites, monosaccharides and oligosaccharides among various CR samples. Finally, five chemometric models were employed to discriminate different species and origins of CR. Among them, random forest had the highest discrimination accuracy of 94.3 %. And the results showed that combining specialized metabolites, monosaccharides and oligosaccharides data for modeling yielded higher accuracy than individual modeling. This research offers a new and thorough approach for accurately distinguishing highly similar foods of diverse species and origins.

Introduction:With the rapid decline in wild Bupleurum scorzonerifolium (BSW) resources, large-scale planting of cultivated B. scorzonerifolium (BSC) has begun. However, the effects of growth years on the quality of BSC, as well as the quality difference between BSC and BSW remain unclear. Methods:This study utilized trait characteristics, microstructure, cell wall components, sugar components, main pharmacological substances, metabolomics, and transcriptomics as key indicators and techniques, to comprehensively characterize and investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the quality differences between BSC of different growth ages (1-3 years) and between BSC and BSW. Results and discussion:As the growth years increased, the root weight of BSC continuously increased, accompanied by root head expansion. Root length and middle and lower section diameters showed significant increases from 1 to 2 years, stabilizing from 2 to 3 years. The ratio of phloem width to xylem radius, along with the contents of total saponins and saikosaponins a, b2, c, and d, exhibited a trend of initial decrease, followed by an increase. Additionally, the number and size of oil cavities and ducts, as well as the volatile oil content, continuously increased. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses identified saponins and terpenoids as the primary differential components between different BSC growth years, with genes Bchns02G071080 and Bchns05G031860 (saponins) and Bchns01G03800 (terpenoids) identified as potential key regulatory genes. Furthermore, compared to the long-established, high-quality BSW, 3-year-old BSC (BSC3) showed the closest resemblance in morphological traits, microstructure, and chemical component content, particularly for key pharmacological substances, such as volatile oil, total saponins, and saikosaponins a, b2, c, and d. Considering both quality and economic benefits, BSC3 is recommended as a substitute for BSW. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the effects of growth years on the quality of BSC, offering valuable insights for guiding the artificial cultivation and quality assurance of B. scorzonerifolium.

The geographical origin of Weilian critically influences its price and medicinal quality, required rapid and nondestructive identification methods to enhance regulatory oversight and consumer protection. In traditional methods slice, powder, and liquid samples were always used for determination of Weilian' geographical origin, which compromises the integrity of the sample. Here, this study introduces a novel framework utilizing dual-lens hyperspectral imaging (HSI) spanning visible-near-infrared (VNIR: 410-990 nm) and short-wave infrared (SWIR: 950-2500 nm) spectral to analyze the intact Weilian specimen. We evaluated two fusion strategies: (1) Low-level spectral fusion (VNIR + SWIR), paired with five classification models: partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), support vector machines (SVM), backpropagation neural networks (BPNN), long short-term memory networks (LSTM), and convolutional neural networks (CNN). Post-fusion, classification accuracy improved, with CNN achieving the highest accuracy of 95.26 %. (2) Feature-level fusion using sequential projection algorithm (SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and model adaptive space shrinkage (MASS) to extract discriminative spectral features. Pairwise combinations of these feature selection methods (SPA + MASS, SPA + CARS, CARS + MASS) were modeled using CNN. The SPA + MASS fusion yielded the optimal CNN accuracy of 98.10 %. In conclusion, a novel traceability framework that preserves sample integrity was developed, leveraging a multimodal spectral fusion strategy to significantly enhance the classification accuracy of Weilian' geographical origin, thereby offering an innovative and practical technic to supervise the quality of herbs.

This study was based on the photoreprint of the Ming dynasty's officially revised Essentials of Materia Medica Distinctions(hereinafter referred to as the Roman version) held in the National Central Library of Rome, Italy. It examined the number of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs) recorded, TCM adjustment status, the origins of newly added TCMs, and the characteristics of some TCM illustrations in this version. The study aimed to provide reference for the subsequent research and utilization of Essentials of Materia Medica Distinctions. The study employed methods of literature statistics, induction, and herbal textual research to investigate the number of TCMs recorded in the book, the adjustments, the origins of newly added TCMs, and the origins of some TCMs in the illustrations. The Roman version actually recorded 1 808 TCMs. Compared with The Revised Zhenghe Classified Materia Medica from Historical Classics for Emergency, it included 38 newly added TCMs marked as "newly supplemented TCMs", 23 TCMs marked as "newly separated entries" which were split from existing entries, 31 TCMs that were adjusted, and 422 TCMs with newly added illustrations. The origins of the 38 newly supplemented TCMs and 23 newly separated entries were identified. The rationality of TCM separation and movement was evaluated, and the characteristics of the TCM illustrations in Essentials of Materia Medica Distinctions were summarized. By sorting out the number of TCMs, analyzing the adjustments, examining the newly supplemented TCMs and their origins, and investigating the characteristics of TCM illustrations, this study provides reference for the compilation, structure, versions, TCM collection, reading, and utilization of Essentials of Materia Medica Distinctions.

Saikosaponin A(SSA) and saikosaponin D(SSD) were conjugated with bovine serum albumin(BSA) and ovalbumin(OVA) via the periodate oxidation method to prepare immunogens(SSA/D-BSA) and coating antigens(SSA/D-OVA), respectively. BALB/c mice were immunized with SSA/D-BSA, and 15 monoclonal antibody(mAb) cell lines against SSA/D were screened. Among these, the mAb SD6 against SSD exhibited cross-reaction rates of 100.00%, 99.94%, 95.06%, 94.89%, 1.97%, 1.89%, and 0.93% with SSD, SSA, 6″-O-acetyl-saikosaponin A, 6″-O-acetyl-saikosaponin D, saikosaponin C(SSC), saikosaponin E(SSE), and hydroxysaikosaponin A, respectively. The cross-reactivity rates with saikosaponin F(SSF), saikosaponin B1(SSB1), saikosaponin B2(SSB2), and other compounds were all less than 0.10%. An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(icELISA) based on the selected mAb SD6 against SSD demonstrated an IC_(50) value of 32.68 ng·mL~(-1), a detection range from 6.4 to 159.12 ng·mL~(-1), a spiked recovery from 95.03% to 104.5%, and RSD from 2.7% to 4.0%. The developed icELISA was applied to determine the total content of SSA and SSD in 19 batches of Bupleurum chinense DC. The results were validated using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography(UPLC), with a high correlation coefficient(0.994 7) shown between the two methods. This confirms that the established icELISA is reliable for rapid quantification of the total SSA and SSD content in B. chinense.

The exploration of medicinal and edible attributes of fruit materials has significantly advanced the food industry. However, the Chaenomeles species (Chaenomeles speciosa, Chaenomeles thibetica, Chaenomeles cathayensis, Chaenomeles japonica, and Chaenomeles sinensis) remain underexplored, with notable nutritional diversity and widespread availability. This review delves into the multifaceted health benefits of Chaenomeles, examining its fruits, leaves, twigs, seeds, and petals. This intrinsic complexity underscores the substantial potential for future research across various application avenues. This article provides a thorough overview of typical Chaenomeles species, encompassing an analysis of their functional composition, nutritional attributes, and diverse applications. The genetic relationships governing variation across these species are explored, particularly concerning the challenges and potential crises of cultivating smaller crop species. This study presents a comprehensive synthesis of inherent genetic variation patterns in Chaenomeles, elucidating considerations regarding its susceptibility to viruses, bacteria, and fungi as a small crop variety. The compositional analysis reveals phenolics, glycosides, organic acids, flavonoids, lipids, and macromolecules, each with distinct nutritional attributes contributing to organ protection, arthritis alleviation, and the mitigation of metabolic diseases. Notably, the pronounced sour taste characteristic of Chaenomeles can be effectively alleviated through methodologies such as fermentation.

BACKGROUND:Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. is a medicinal plant in high clinical demand due to its pharmacological efficacy. However, research on its quality dynamics across different growth years remains limited, primarily focusing on transcriptomics, microbiome analysis, and photosynthetic capacity, with studies only extending to three-year-old plants. RESULTS:This study examines A. macrocephala over a broader growth span (1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 years), integrating morphological, microstructural, metabolomic, spatial metabolite distribution, and transcriptomic analyses. Morphologically, rhizome weight and length increased with age, and the characteristic "Hejing" structure became more pronounced. Microstructural analysis revealed progressively developed xylem. Metabolomic profiling indicated a decline in sucrose content, alongside increased accumulation of bioactive sesquiterpenoids and phenolic acids over time. Transcriptomic analysis showed that genes involved in the biosynthesis of these active compounds-terpenoid backbone (HMGR, DXS, idi, GPS, and GGPS), phenylpropanoid (PAL, 4CL, and HCT), and sucrose metabolism (SPS and SPP)-were upregulated in older plants. Desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) revealed an expanded distribution of key metabolites with increasing growth years. CONCLUSION:The findings suggest that A. macrocephala aged 5 and 10 years exhibit superior quality, with a more distinct "Hejing" morphology and higher levels of bioactive compounds. The quality stabilises after five years, indicating that older plants may possess enhanced medicinal value.

The genus Bupleurum has high medicinal value and has been widely used as a traditional herbal medicine in Asia, Europe, and North Africa over the past 2000 years. Despite its medicinal importance, in-depth research on the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of Bupleurum is lacking. This review aimed to comprehensively summarize the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and saponin biosynthesis of Bupleurum to provide a novel basis for future research. Information was retrieved from electronic resources including SciFinder, PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Science Direct, from March 1953 to March 2023. The keyword used for literature retrieval was “Bupleurum”. Presently, over 557 compounds (excluding volatile oils), including saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids, lignans, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, sterols, polyenes, polyalkynes, and polysaccharides, have been isolated or identified from 67 species of Bupleurum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive summary of chemical components in Bupleurum to date. Modern studies have proven that Bupleurum and its active compounds possessed a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, and antiviral activities. Furthermore, analysis of the primary structure–activity relationship indicated that the C13,28-epoxy bridge may be importantly associated with several pharmacological activities. Multiomic studies have identified several candidate genes for saponin biosynthesis, such as β-amyrin synthase (BcBAS1, Bc61215) and cytochrome P450 (Bc95697, Bc35434) genes. Future research may place greater emphasis on the study of concrete pharmacological mechanisms.

Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) is a commonly consumed medicinal fruit. This study proposes a rapid and nondestructive technique that integrates hyperspectral imaging (HSI) with interpretable deep learning for the classification of hawthorn cultivars from different regions and the quantitative prediction of key quality indicators, including citric acid, total sugar, and vitamin C content. A total of 1227 samples were collected from 11 categories, representing different cultivars and origins. Model robustness was ensured by acquiring HSI data in three different orientations, with the stalk positioned horizontally, up, and down. Classification results showed an EfficientNet model achieved the highest accuracy (95.92 %) by fusing spectral data from all three orientations. In the regressions, the EfficientNet model outperformed both PLSR and CNN. Among the measured compounds, citric acid and total sugar yielded satisfactory results, with R2 values of 0.94 and 0.92 and RPD values of 4.08 and 3.55, respectively. Furthermore, combining gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) and Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) enabled a visual and quantitative interpretation of spectral feature contributions, effectively addressing black-box issues. This is the first study to integrate HSI with interpretable deep learning for simultaneous classification and quality prediction in hawthorn, with improved model performance through multi-orientation spectral fusion.

This study aims to establish a model for rapid non-destructive quantitation of main phenolic acids in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma by hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometric methods. Hyperspectral imaging was performed for 420 Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma samples collected from Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, Sichuan, and Anhui. Original spectral data(ORI) were preprocessed by first derivative(D1), second derivative(D2), savitzky-golay(SG) smoothing, multiplicative scattering correction(MSC), and standard normal variate(SNV) algorithms. Models for predicting the content of salvianolic acid B, lithospermic acid, danshensu, salvianolic acid Y, and rosmarinic acid were constructed via partial least squares regression(PLSR), backpropagation neural network(BPNN), and random forest regression(RFR). Additionally, iterative retained information variable(IRIV), successive projections algorithm(SPA), uninformative variables elimination(UVE), and variable iterative space shrinkage approach(VISSA) were employed for feature extraction to refine model efficiency. The results demonstrated that the PLSR model exhibited the best predictive performance. Significant differences in the number of wavelengths selected by different feature extraction methods directly impacted model performance. Therefore, preprocessing methods should be combined adaptively with appropriate feature extraction techniques to enhance model robustness. The optimal models for each component were as follows. VISSA-D1-PLSR models were selected for predicting salvianolic acid B, lithospermic acid, and salvianolic acid Y, with prediction set coefficient of determination(R_p~2) values of 0.942, 0.818, and 0.797 and residual predictive deviation(RPD) values of 4.158, 2.308, and 2.186, respectively. For danshensu and rosmarinic acid, the full-spectrum SG-PLSR models demonstrated the best performance, with R_p~2 values of 0.803 and 0.702 and RPD values of 2.162 and 1.782, respectively. This study demonstrates that HSI technology combined with chemometric methods can provide reliable technical support for predicting multiple phenolic acids in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and the real-time rapid evaluation of this medicinal material.

In order to support the implementation of the Opinions on Improving the Quality of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry and fundamentally promote the high-quality development of Chinese materia medica(CMM) industry, this article analyzed the quality and safety issues arising during the transition of CMM from wild harvesting to cultivation. Root causes of these issues were identified, including changes in the habitats of medicinal plants caused by inappropriate field cultivation patterns, excessive use of chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, and shortened cultivation periods due to rising economic costs. To address the above issues, the following countermeasures and suggestions were proposed to advance the high-quality development of CMM:(1) comprehensively adjust the cultivation patterns, vigorously promote ecological cultivation of CMM, and ensure production quality and safety of CMM from the source;(2) strengthen the breeding of high-quality, stress-resistant CMM varieties, improve cultivation techniques to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and improve the quality and efficiency of ecological cultivation of CMM;(3) systematically design the production, operation, and supervision models for ecological cultivation of CMM, carry out demonstrations of "high quality with fair price", and ensure the sustainable development of ecological cultivation of CMM.

Sophorae Flavescentis Radix is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in China, and a large amount of pharmaceutical residue generated during its processing and production is discarded as waste, which not only wastes resources but also pollutes the environment. Therefore, elucidating the chemical composition of the residue of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and the differences between the residue and Sophorae Flavescentis Radix itself is of great significance for the comprehensive utilization of the residue. This study, based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) technology combined with multivariate statistical methods, provides a thorough characterization, identification, and differential analysis of the overall components of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and its residue. Firstly, 61 compounds in Sophorae Flavescentis Radix were rapidly identified based on their precise molecular weight, fragment ions, and compound abundance, using a self-constructed compound database. Among them, 41 compounds were found in the residue, mainly alkaloids and flavonoids. Secondly, through principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), 15 key compounds differentiating Sophorae Flavescentis Radix from its residue were identified. These included highly polar alkaloids, such as oxymatrine and oxysophocarpine, which showed significantly reduced content in the residue, and less polar flavonoids, such as kurarinone and kuraridin, which were more abundant in the residue. In summary, this paper clarifies the overall composition, structure, and content differences between Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and its residue, suggesting that the residue of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix can be used as a raw material for the extraction of its high-activity components, with promising potential for development and application in cosmetics and daily care. This research provides a scientific basis for the future comprehensive utilization of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and its residue.

This study aims to identify the main chemical compounds, investigate the effects of different drying methods on the quality, and determine the appropriate drying method of Callicarpae Nudiflorae Folium. UPLC-UV-Q-TOF-MS was employed to characterize and identify 35 main compounds, including phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoids, and iridoids in Callicarpae Nudiflorae Folium. A method for the simultaneous determination of 8 compounds with strong UV absorption and high content was established to evaluate the quality of Callicarpae Nudiflorae Folium dried by different methods. UPLC-UV-Q-TOF-MS combined with principal component analysis(PCA) was employed to compare the Callicarpae Nudiflorae Folium samples treated by microwave drying at different power(119, 231, and 385 W), drying in the shade, sun drying, and oven drying at different temperatures(50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 ℃). The total content of decaffeoyl acteoside, picroside Ⅲ, galuteolin, forsythin B, acteoside, isoacteoside, 6-hydroxyluteolin-7-glucoside, and caffeic acid in Callicarpae Nudiflorae Folium, as well as the content of most compounds, decreased with the rise in drying temperature and with the decrease in microwave power. Considering the content of compounds, low carbon, and energy saving, microwave drying at 231 W, low-temperature drying, or natural drying is recommended for the production of Callicarpae Nudiflorae Folium. This study provides a scientific basis for the selection of drying methods for Callicarpae Nudiflorae Folium at the place of origin and for the improvement of quality standards.

Radix Puerariae is a traditional Chinese medicinal material with a rich history of use in East and Southeast Asia. Puerarin, a unique component of the Pueraria genus, serves as a quality control marker for herbal medicines like Pueraria lobata and Pueraria thomsonii in China, displaying diverse pharmacological properties. This study developed puerarin colloidal gold immunoassay dipsticks utilizing an anti-puerarin monoclonal antibody, resulting in a fast and sensitive detection method with a limit of 500-1000 ngmL(-1). Evaluation using tap water-extracted P. lobata and P. thomsonii samples showed consistent results compared to LC-MS analysis. Cross-reactivity assessments of puerarin analogs revealed minimal interference, affirming the dipstick's reliability for distinguishing between the two species.