Objective: To study the dynamic accumulation of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) in semi-wild Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. so as to determine its optimal harvest time.
Methods: The content of GA in the plant samples was determined by HPLC.
Results: In the same growth period, the content of GA in the plant reached its highest peak in June or July, decreased gradually from August, and reached the lowest in November or December. Then the content of GA increased gradually from next March, and finally reached the highest in June or July again. There was no obvious difference between the content of GA in the one-year-old and the two-year-old Glycyrrhiza uralensis. But the content of GA in the three-year-old increased markedly, and its GA content was much higher than that of the one or two-year-old.
Conclusion: The optimal harvest time of semi-wild Glycyrrhiza uralensis is in July or August after transplanted three years.