Distribution of Phenolic Acids in Chinese Salvia Plants

Salvia L. (Lamiaceae) is a large genus with over 1,000 species widely distributed in tropical and temperate regions of the world, of which 84 species are in China. The genus Salvia is an extremely abundant medicinal plant source. Many species of this genus have been used as medicinal plants for a long time. In this study, HPLC hyphenated with DAD detection was used to study the distribution of phenolic acids in some Chinese Salvia species. As a result of this study, it was found that phenolic acids were abundant in this genus, especially in Sect. Drymosphace Benth and Sect. Euryspace Stib. Ethnopharmacologically, many medicinal plants in these two sections have been mainly used for promoting blood circulation to regulate menstruation and to activate meridian and collateral. All the species that are used as Danshen in folk medicine come from these two sections. However, according to the data of our study, only the plants in Sect. Drymosphace are qualified to be used as Danshen. Further comprehensive studies on these species are needed in order to make better medical utilizations of these species.