Résumé
Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. (Araliaceae) is a plant growing in Korea, China, Japan, and Russia. E. senticosus, also known as Siberian ginseng and Ciwujia, has a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine. According to the European Medicines Agency, its root is recommended in cases of fatigue and weakness. The monograph of Eleutherococci radix can be found in Ph. Eur. 11th.The presented study aimed to analyse the phytochemical composition of E. senticosus root. Additionally, the quality of herbal products containing this plant material was evaluated.Commercial samples of the root of E. senticosus or its ethanolic extract in the form of cut root, capsules, tablets and tinctures were purchased online. As described in Ph. Eur. 11th, the authenticity of the plant material was confirmed using microscopic anatomical analysis and TLC. Extracts were phytochemically characterised through LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS method. The content of marker compounds syringin (eleutheroside B) and syringaresinol 4,4’-di-O-β-D-glucoside (eleutheroside E) was analyzed using HPLC.Our analysis revealed different qualitative and quantitative profiles of tested products. In some samples, the sum of eleutherosides B and E did not exceed0.08 % required by Ph. Eur. 11th, nor did they contain labelled amounts of eleutherosides. Moreover, eleutherosides were not detected in a few testedproducts.These results indicate the importance of quality control and standardisation of plant material.