Determination of major ginsenosides in Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) using high‐performance liquid chromatography

In order to determine the active ingredients in root extracts of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng), a gradient HPLC method involving UV photodiode array detection was applied to separate and quantify simultaneously the ginsenosides Rb 1 , Rb 2 , Rc, Rd, Re, Rf and Rg 1 . All ginseng saponins were baseline‐resolved under the selected conditions, and the detection limits were 1.0 µg/mL or less. The method has been applied to analyse ginsenosides extracted from American ginseng cultivated in both Wisconsin and Illinois. Ginsenosides Re and Rb 1 were the two main ginseng saponins in the root. The amounts of Re in 5‐ and 7‐year Illinois‐cultivated samples were greater than those found in ginseng cultivated for 3 or 4 years in Wisconsin, whereas the levels of Rb 1 were greater in the younger Wisconsin samples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.