How many medicinal slices should be used in an experiment of Chinese medicine extraction process?

Jiale Xie; Bo Chen; Jingmi Liu; Xingchu Gong

doi:10.1016/j.jpha.2026.101562

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Jiale Xie, Bo Chen, Jingmi Liu, Xingchu Gong. How many medicinal slices should be used in an experiment of Chinese medicine extraction process?[J]. Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2026.101562

Citation:

Jiale Xie, Bo Chen, Jingmi Liu, Xingchu Gong. How many medicinal slices should be used in an experiment of Chinese medicine extraction process?[J]. Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2026.101562

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How many medicinal slices should be used in an experiment of Chinese medicine extraction process?

doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2026.101562

Jiale Xie^a,
Bo Chen^a,b,
Jingmi Liu^c,
Xingchu Gong^{a,c,d,e
,
,}

a. Pharmaceutical Informatics Institute, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China;
b. Polytechnic Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310015, China;
c. Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China;
d. National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China;
e. Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, 321016, China

Funds:

The authors would like to thank Professor Haibin Qu from College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, China, for his valuable suggestions on this work. This research was supported by the 2024 “Pioneer” and “Leading Goose” R&

D Program of Zhejiang, China (Grant No.: 2024C03103) and the National Key R&

D Program of China (Grant No.: 2024YFC3506901).

Received Date: May 26, 2025
Accepted Date: Jan. 22, 2026
Rev Recd Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Available Online: Jan. 23, 2026

Abstract

Abstract

The medicinal slice quantity for small-scale extraction experiments significantly impacts the repeatability of experimental results. A novel concept of representative mass of medicinal slices (RMMS) is presented in this work. RMMS is defined as “the minimum mass of medicinal slices required to ensure the repeatability of the extraction results with an acceptable threshold”. Using the modified Fangjihuangqi decoction (MFD) as a case study, a method to determine RMMS was shown in this work. The active ingredient yields (AIYs) and dry matter yield (DMY) were used as the process indicators for the extraction of medicinal slices. AIYs and DMY of each medicinal slice in MFD were determined. The herbs with the relatively higher coefficient of variation (CV) value of AIYs and DMYs were identified, which were Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix (Fangji) and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gancao). It was found that medicinal slice weights, AIYs, and DMYs followed a 3-parameter Weibull distribution. A comparison between the Monte Carlo Simulation and the Central Limit Theorem method showed that the latter method is simpler and more accurate in RMMS determination. To facilitate the use of this method by other researchers, an Excel spreadsheet for calculating RMMS is provided. We also suggest to use at least 50 pieces of medicinal slices when determining RMMS. A universal method for determining the appropriate medicinal material quantity in Chinese medicine extraction was provided, which is beneficial for improving the accuracy of research results in the development of Chinese medicine processes.
- Chinese medicinal slices,
- Coefficient of variation,
- Representative mass of medicinal slices,
- Monte Carlo simulation,
- Central limit theorem

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References(44)

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