ABSTRACT:
A method for identification of asarone in Acorus calamus rhizomes by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with further determination of its limit content was developed. Determination of asarone in test solutions was performed by comparing presence of zones equivalent as for their location and staining to the asarone reference standard. Determination of asarone limit content in acorus calamus rhizomes was performed by comparing intensity of staining of spots zones between test solutions and dilution series of the asarone reference standard with different concentrations (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75%). The method was tested on 7 batches of the raw material. According to results of the set of experiments, it has been proven that the method is reproducible and at the same time allows for valid identification of the raw material by presence of one of the main components, asarone, and for control of raw material quality beyond its content. The method is proposed for introduction to the draft monograph “Acorus calamus rhizomes”.