Elemental Analysis of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma by Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission and Mass Spectrometry with Chemometrics

This study reports an efficient, high-throughput, sensitive, and accurate method that identified forty elements in medicinal herbs using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. These techniques were employed to provide detailed profiles of the metals in Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma cultivated from Sichuan and Anhui Provinces, China. Chemometrics were employed to identify the elements to discriminate between locations. The protocol was validated by a certified reference material and fortified Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma. The methodology was efficient, rapid, and reliable with linear responses, low detection limits, good accuracy, precision, and recovery. Partial least squares-discriminant and t-test analyses indicated that zinc and samarium exhibited differences among samples from Sichuan and Anhui Provinces. These results provide reference values for elemental analysis and characterization of this traditional Chinese medicine.