Background: Panax japonicus C.A. Meyer (Zhujieshen) is widely used in traditional medicine as a tonic hemostatic and anti-inflammatory agent in China, Japan, and Korea. Furthermore, it is used as an important substitute for ginseng roots by minority ethnic groups in China. The purpose of this review is to summarize the latest research on Zhujieshen in recent years, aiming at providing a systematic overview of the current knowledge, and perspectives for future research and exploitation. Main body: This review examines the research advances in botanical profile, phytochemicals, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and authentication of Zhujieshen. Various compounds have been reported as active components, mainly including saponins, volatile oils, and polysaccharides. Pharmacological investigations have demonstrated that Zhujieshen is an important herb with significant bioactivities, such as anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, cardio-protective, neuro-protective, anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-thrombotic and immunomodulatory activities. Conclusion: Currently, research on Zhujieshen is in the preliminary stages, and further research is required to understand the active compounds present and mechanisms of action. We hope that this comprehensive review of Zhujieshen will serve as a background for future research and exploitation.

Background: Cimicifugae Rhizoma, known in Chinese as Shengma, is a common medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mainly used for treating wind-heat headaches, sore throat, uterine prolapse, and other diseases. Objectives: An approach using a combination of ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), MS, and multivariate chemometric methods was designed to assess the quality of Cimicifugae Rhizoma. Methods: All materials were crushed into powder and the powdered sample was dissolved in 70% aqueous methanol for sonication. Chemometric methods, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), were adopted to classify and perform a comprehensive visualization study of Cimicifugae Rhizoma. The unsupervised recognition models of HCA and PCA obtained a preliminary classification and provided a basis for classification. In addition, we constructed a supervised OPLS-DA model and established a prediction set to further validate the explanatory power of the model for the variables and unknown samples. Results: Exploratory research found that the samples were divided into two groups, and the differences were related to appearance traits. The correct classification of the prediction set also demonstrated a strong predictive ability of the models for new samples. Subsequently, six chemical makers were characterized by UPLC–Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS, and the content of four components was determined. The results of the content determination revealed the distribution of representative chemical markers caffeic acid, ferulic acid, isoferulic acid, and cimifugin in two classes of samples. Conclusions: This strategy can provide a reference for assessing the quality of Cimicifugae Rhizoma, which is significant for the clinical practice and QC of Cimicifugae Rhizoma. Highlights: The HCA, PCA and OPLS-DA models visually classify Cimicifugae Rhizoma by appearance traits and obtain the chemical markers that influence the classification. The training and prediction sets were built to demonstrate the accuracy of the classification. Advanced UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS technology provides powerful elucidation of critical chemical markers.

Background: Panax Japonicus (PJ) is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine, functional food and tonic. However, its origin has a great influence on the quality of PJ, and with the increasing demand for PJ, fake and inferior products, such as Panax Stipuleanatus (PS), often appear. The identification of the origin and authenticity of PJ is critical for ensuring the quality, safety and effectiveness of drugs. Objective: Proposing a strategy to identify the origin, authenticity, and quality of PJ using HPLC fingerprints, chemometrics, and network pharmacology. Method: The chromatographic fingerprint method was established to analyze the origin and authenticity of PJ. Multiple chemometric methods were performed to analyze the fingerprints, including a Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Counter Propagation Artificial Neural Network (CP-ANN). Finally, the network pharmacology method was used to construct the "active ingredient-target" network, predict and assist in analyzing potential Qmarkers in PJ. Result: Ward’s method was used for the HCA. The results showed that PJ samples from different origins had significant regional differences and could be accurately distinguished from PS. The PCA classification results are consistent with the HCA classification results, further illustrating the model's accuracy. The CP-ANN model can analyze and predict PJ and PS and accurately obtain PJ and PS chemical markers to identify PJ and PS correctly. The network pharmacology of PJ was constructed, and three PJ Q-markers, namely, ginsenoside Ro, ginsenoside Rb1, and chikusetsu saponin Ⅳa, were identified, which lays a foundation for the establishment of PJ quality standards. Conclusion: This research provides a feasible platform for the quality evaluation of PJ in the future.