Abstract: Simultaneous distillation-extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis was conducted to analyze volatiles in fresh and dried Astragali Radix. The yield of volatile compounds from fresh and dried Astragali Radix was 0.64% and 0.43%, respectively. Totally 76 chemical components were identified and 11 compounds including 1-hexanol, (E)- 2-hexen-1-ol, hexanal, 2-hexenal were presented in both fresh and dry samples. Forty three compounds were identified in fresh sample and the major ones were 1-hexanol, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, o-xylene ; 44 compounds were identified in dry sample and the major ones were hexanal, 1-hexanol, 2-hexenal. Significant difference was found in volatile types and concentrations in fresh and dry samples.

Key words: Astragali Radix, volatile compounds, simultaneous distillation-extraction, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS)