A Comprehensive Method for Quality Evaluation of Houttuyniae Herba by a Single Standard to Determine Multi-components, Fingerprint and HPTLC Method

A method of quality evaluation by a single standard to determine multi-components (SSDMC), fingerprint and high-performance thin layer-chromatography (HPTLC) was developed for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and validated with dry Houttuyniae Herba (HH). In quantitative analysis, an SSDMC method involving nine components has been established with the desirable linearity (r(2) ≥ 0.9998), precision (RSD < 2.7%), accuracy (97.4 - 103.1%) and ruggedness. Compared with the results obtained using the external standard method (ESM), this alternative SSDMC method was found to have no statistically significant differences. In fingerprint analysis, nine of fourteen peaks were identified. Simultaneously, 15 HH samples from different origins were classified by similarity analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Additionally, the HPTLC method with three flavonoid markers was firstly established. The combination of SSDMC with the fingerprint and HPTLC method has been verified in the quality control of HH both quantitatively and qualitatively, and will provide a new quality evaluation pattern for TCMs.