The spectrum-effect relationship—a rational approach for screening effective compounds from Chinese herbal medicine

Purpose: Introduce a rational method for reflecting the Chinese herbal medicine effective compositions and internal quality—the spectrum-effect relationship theory, so as to provide ideas and references about screening the Chinese herbal medicine effective components, distinguish different herbal species and truly reflect the inner quality of Chinese herbal medicine. Methods: We systematically review the application of the spectrum-effect relationship theory in the research of Chinese herbal medicine, including research mentality, different chromatographic analysis techniques, data processing technologies and structure determination. Results: It is proved that, with the help of the spectrumeffect relationship, the authenticationand identificationof the Chinese herbal medicine can be accurately conducted even if the concentration of effective components are not very similar in different samples. Conclusion: The spectrum-effect relationship is considered as a potential method to determine active ingredients in complex mixtures and reflect the internal quality of Chinese herbal medicine. Contact: Chunsheng ZHU, zhuchunsheng6@163.com