Why are Angelicae Sinensis radix and Chuanxiong Rhizoma different? An explanation from a chemical perspective

Angelicae Sinensis radix (ASR) and Chuanxiong Rhizoma (CR) are two commonly used herbs with different blood-related bioactivities for tonic and medicinal purpose, respectively. However, current available scientific evidences indicate that they share similar chemical profiles in which volatile components are the majority. In order to figure out the decisive chemical differences and then establish their individual quality control methods, comprehensive comparison on chemical ingredients between ASR and CR was carried out in this study. First, volatile components between ASR and CR were determined and compared by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Then, carbohydrates and polysaccharides in ASR and CR were qualitatively and quantitatively characterized using HPGPC (high performance gel permeation chromatography) and HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography). Furthermore, these components in different botanical parts and processed products of ASR were also investigated. The results not only confirmed that ASR and CR contain similar profiles of volatile components, but also suggested that the volatile components might not be the nutrient ingredients of ASR and that the polysaccharides make the real differences between ASR and CR.