Abstract: Objective To study the differences in contents of six active ingredients in medicinal and non-medicinal parts of Farfarae Flos. Methods A high-performance liquid chromatography method was established for simultaneous determination of six components, including chlorogenic acid, rutin, 3,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and tussilagone, in different parts of Farfarae Flos. The experiment was conducted using a ShimNex CS C₁₈ (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) chromatographic column. The mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid aqueous solution under gradient elution. The detection wavelength was 220 nm at a flow rate of 1 mL·min^-1 and the column temperature was 30℃. Results Rutin and tussilagone were not detected in the pedicels or roots of Farfarae Flos. The contents of other four caffeoylquinic acids were significantly lower than those in the buds. Conclusion The experiment has justified the use of buds of Farfarae Flos as the medicinal material. The mixture with non-medicinal parts will affect the quality of medicinal materials and should be avoided in the process of production. It is recommended that inspections of impurities be included in quality standards to ensure the quality of medicinal materials.

Key words: Farfarae Flos, Medicinal Part, Non-Medicinal Part, Tussilagone, Active Ingredient, 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic Acid, 4,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic Acid, HPLC, Content Determination