Abstract

Objectives: To determine the standards for discrimination of Magnoliae Cortex, the experiment of specific external-internal characters and the physicochemical pattern analysis were performed. Methods: External characteristics was observed using a stereoscope. Paraffin-mediated sectioned materials were stained by Ju's method. Physicochemical patterns of materials were analyzed using HPLC. Results: 1. Botanical characteristics: Magnolia officinalis had one seed and a white flower, while M. obovata had two seeds and a white flower. Machilus thunbergii had berry and spherical fruits and yellowish green panicles. 2. External characteristics: M. officinalis and M obovata were dark and thick. M. officinalis was gray brown and greasy while M. obovata was light-gray, less oily and smoothly sectioned. Machilus thunbergii was thin and relatively light or yellow-brown, coarsely sectioned and faintly specific scents. 3. Internal characteristics: The bast parts of M. officinalis and M. obovata were commonly wider than Machilus thunbergii The cork cortex of M. officinalis was $10{\sim}mg/L$ cell layers with many oil cells, while that of M. obovata was $4{\sim}7$ cell layers with less oil cells. Machilus thunbergii's xylem which consisted of ring-shaped cambium at 1st and 2nd part was occupied in large portion. 4. Physicochemical pattern: Both M. officinalis and M. obovata involved honokiol and magnolol. All kinds of M. officinalis involved Magnatriol B but one kind of M. ovobata and all of Machilus thunbergii didn't. Machilus thunbergii showed different pattern of chromatogram from that of 2 species above. Conclusions: These results could be used as standards for discrimination of Magnoliae Cortex and as the method of objectification in medicinal herbs giving the basic resource for bioactivity research.

Keywords

• Magnoliae Cortex;
• Magnolia officinalis;
• Machilus thunbergii;
• morphology;
• HPLC