Abstract:

Objective: To establish a method for determing total alkaloids content in Emilia sonchifolia and then determine its best harvesting time. Methods: The optimum extraction conditions were confirmed by single factor tests, and with matrine as standard, total alkaloids content was determined at the wavelength of 414 nm by UV-visible spectrophotometry. Results: The calibration curve shows good linearity in the range of 0.0021 to 0.0294 mg/ml (R2=0.9997), and the average spike recovery is 97.6% with the RSD of 0.447% (n=6). The contents of total alkaloids in chloroform extract samples of Emilia sonchifolia collected at different harvesting time are 4.31 to 13.99 mg/g, and August is considered as the best harvesting time of Emilia sonchifolia with the highest otal alkaloids content. Conclusion: The method is simple and accurate with high repeatability, and can be used for quality analysis of Emilia sonchifolia.

Key words: Emilia sonchifolia, total alkaloids, matrine, content determination