Abstract: The compositions and contents of ginsenbsides in Panax ginseng, P.quinquefolium and P.notoginseng were determined and compared by reversed-phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC).The method was performed on an Alltech Adsorbosphere HS C18 column, using 5×10^-3 M NaH2PO4-H3PO4 buffer solution(pH 3.0)and acetonitrile-water(50:50) as gradient eluents. The baseline separation of ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, Rf, Ro, and Re+Rg1 was obtained in one analytical run.The ginsenosides are directly detected at 203 nm. The detection limit is 40μg at a signal to noise ratio of 3:1.The improved sample preparation and clean-up prior to injection with SEP-PAK C18 cartridge strongly reduced the front peaks caused by the impurities in the methanolic extracts of samples to afford a smooth baseline and clear background. The HPLC patterns of methanolic extracts mainly including the ginsenosides were found capable of serving as chemical fingerprints to differentiate the three species from each other. It was also found that there are no significant differences of the HPLC patterns between the wild Panax ginseng and the cultivated, the white and the red ginsengs, Chinese and Korean red ginsengs, and the tap roots of Panax ginseng collected in four consecutive months, only certain differences in contents of ginsenosides do exist. The contents of the nine major ginsenosides present in the rhizome, tap root and rootlet as well as the leaf of Panax quinquefolium were also determined and compared.

Key words: Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolium, Panax notoginseng, Ginsenosides, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)l