Objective: To evaluate the influence of five different drying methods on the contents of dehydrocavidine, a main active constituent, and total alkaloids in Corydalis saxicola.
Methods: The whole plant samples of C. saxicola were harvested at its florescence stage, and then immediately divided into four parts of root, stem, leaf, and inflorescence. Each part of sample was dried by the following five methods, drying in a sunshine, drying in a shade, oven-drying at 60 degrees C, vacuum-drying at room temperature and frozen vacuum-drying, respectively. Then the contents of dehydrocavidine and total alkaloids were determined by RP-HPLC and ultraviolet spectrophotometry.
Results: The contents of dehydrocavidine and total alkaloids in all the four parts of the sample processed by drying in a shade were significantly higher than those in the samples processed by the other four drying mehods.
Conclusion: Different drying methods could significantly influence the contents of dehydrocavidine and total alkaloids in C. saxicola. The process of drying in a shade for a long time would be the best.