Comparison of Total Flavonoid Content in Leaves of Different Age Stems of Epimedium sagittatum

[Objective] The aim was to detect the total flavonoid content in the leaves of different age stems of Epimedium sagittatum.[Method] The total flavonoid was extracted from the leaves of the first,second and third year stems of E.sagittatum by ethanol extraction.With the icariin as standard,the standard solution was prepared and the standard curve was drawn.The absorbancy of the samples was detected by spectrophotometry and the total flavonoid content was calculated according to the standard curve.[Result] The experiment showed that the precision and stability of the instrument was good and the tested sample solution was comparasivly stable in 60 min.The total flavonoid content of the leaves of the first year stems of E.sagittatum was lower,that of the second and third year stems was higher and their difference was little and that of the third year stem was the highest.The average total flavonoid content of the leaves of the first,second and third year stems of E.sagittatum was 61.240,66.194 and 66.912 mg/g,resp.,the average recovery rate was 96.69%,98.33% and 99.22%,resp.,and the RSD was 0.59%,0.41% and 0.33%,resp.[Conclusion] The research laid the foundation for the development and further study of E.sagittatum.