Planta Med 2015; 81 - PA9
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1545138

Qualitative and quantitative studies on marine shell TCM Concha Arcae based on multi-analysis methods

J Hu 1, Y Liu 1, Y Qiu 1, Q Liu 1, X Jiang 1, J Huang 1, W Wu 2, D Guo 2, W Wang 1
  • 1TCM and Ethnomedicine Innovation & Development Laboratory, School of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208
  • 2Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, CAS, Shanghai 201203

Concha Arcae is a widely used marine shell traditional Chinese medicine (msTCM), which is commonly called 'Walengzi' in China. It is often used to treat stomach ache. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is the main and active component which constitutes more than 90%. The quality control standard in China is not sufficient. And the quality control studies become difficult, due to the high CaCO3 content. Here, we have developed some studies on Concha Arcae to reveal the natures of it. Powder microscopic identification was performed using a powder slide-making method. HPLC characteristic spectrum was developed with an Agilent 1260 Series HPLC. The IR, Raman and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra were recorded. The heavy metals were determined and CaCO3 content was measured by EDTA titration. These techniques are the first comprehensive applications to study the natures of Concha Arcae, and these are helpful to develop the quality standard of Concha Arcae.