Optimization of Extraction Condition and Quantification of Total Flavonoids in Elaeagni Folium

Introduction: Elaeagni Folium has been used as a crude drug to cure lung deficiency cough, asthma and shortness of breath for a long time in China. The research aimed to optimize the extraction condition and measure the amount of total flavonoids in this medicinal material. Methods: Reflux extraction was an efficient method, compared with sonication and soxhlet extraction, to extract total flavonoids. On the basis of single factor test, the L9(34) orthogonal test was used in the optimization of technological parameters by investigating the ethanol concentration, extraction time and the material/solvent ratios. Using 0.1 mol·L− aluminum chloride (AlCl3) solution as chromogenic agent, the total flavonoids content was measured by ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry. Results: The optimal extraction parameters showed that: ethanol concentration was 85%, ratio of solvent to raw material 40:1 and extraction time 1.5 h. The amount of total flavonoids in the leaf of Elaeagnus pungens Thunb. collected in different harvest time and habitats was 20.8–33.2mg·g-1. Conclusions: It indicated that the amount of total flavonoids had significant difference in this crude drug from different habitats but at the same time, while the total flavonoids content was stable in the samples collected in different harvest time but at the same habitat.