Research of the Stability of Ferulic Acid in Rhizoma Chuanxiong

Objective To research the stability of ferulic acid in rhizoma ligusticum chuanxiong,to find the proper processing parameters of its extracting, concentration and drying. Methods By means of RP-HPLC, comparing the peak area of ferulic acid, so deducing the stability of ferulic acid. Results The experiments have manifested that ferulic acid was not stable when treated by heat in solution. When the temperature exceeded 80 ℃, the peak of ferulic acid dropped sharply, and this tendency was proportional with heating time, while the amount of ferulic acid in the dry crude drug of rhizoma ligusticum chuanxiong kept stable. Conclusion Based on this research, we can make the conclusion that in the relative process, such as extracting, concentration and drying, the temperature should keep under 80 ℃, and the heating time should be within 12 h, for the sake of a higher yielding of ferulic acid.