Preliminary study on standardization of production and processing of Scutellaria baicalensis pieces

Abstract

Decoction pieces are important raw materials in the production of traditional Chinese medicine( TCM),and their quality could directly affect the clinical efficacy and medication safety. Research on the production and processing technology of TCM is the basis for the normalization and standardization of Chinese medicine decoction pieces. At present,the production and processing standards for Scutellaria baicalensis pieces are non-regulated,lacking data foundation. In this study,with baicalin,baicalein,wogonoside and wogonin contents as evaluation indicators,single factor experiment was designed to optimize the softening,drying and cutting processes of S. baicalensis,providing a basis for the standardization of their production and processing. The effects of different softening,drying and cutting processes on the contents of the main components in S. baicalensis were comprehensively analyzed by the summation of relative differences. RESULTS:: showed that the contents of the four components and comprehensive indexes were affected by different softening methods and drying temperatures. The content of wogonin in boiling method was higher than that in boiling with cold water,and the content of glycosides in 70 ℃ drying condition was higher than that in other groups. The content of baicalin was significantly affected by different cutting thicknesses,but not by comprehensive index. Eventually,the optimal preparation process for S. baicalensis was determined as follows: boiled in boiling water for 20 min,cut into thin slices( 1-2 mm),and then dried at 70 ℃ in blast drier. This process was close to the actual production,practical and feasible and meanwhile,it was of great significance to improve the quality of S. baicalensis pieces.