| Abstract
| - In this study, a liquid chromatography (LC)/turbo ion spray (TIS)−mass spectrometry (MS) methodwas developed to examine the chromatography or “fingerprint profile” of seven Cimicifuga herbs andsix Cimicifugaracemosa (black cohosh) commercial products. Triterpene glycoside components wereselected as chemical markers for analysis because they have appeared as a major compound groupin Cimicifuga species. LC/MS chromatograms unveiled the patterns of C. racemosa, Cimicifugadahurica, Cimicifuga foetida, Cimicifuga heracleifolia, Cimicifuga japonica, Cimicifuga acerina, andCimicifuga simplex, which are very different from each other. 23-Epi-26-deoxyactein was found onlyin C. racemosa, C. dahurica, and C. foetida. A highly selective and sensitive LC/MS/MS method forquantitative analysis of 23-epi-26-deoxyactein with detection levels up to 2.5 ng in these sampleswas also developed and was applied to six commercial C. racemosa products. C. racemosa and itssix commercial products contained about 6−15% of 23-epi-26-deoxyactein in total triterpeneglycosides. On the other hand, the estimated amount of total triterpene glycosides in other commercialproducts was either greater or lesser than what the manufacturers claimed. The technique and LC/MS profiles generated in this study provide a reliable and reproducible method that can be readilyutilized for botanical identification of Cimicifuga plants, for examination and validation of its commercialproducts, and for “chemical” quality control in the manufacture of black cohosh products. Keywords: Cimicifuga; black cohosh; Ranunculaceae; 23-epi-26-deoxyactein; LC/MS
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