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