Bioactive components of the roots of Salvia miltiorrhizae: Changes related to harvest time and germplasm line

Field-grown Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhizae) has been used for the preparation of phytopharmaceutical products. The changes in bioactive components in the roots of S. miltiorrhizae related to harvest time and germplasm were investigated in trials during 2008 and 2009. The content of bioactive components in the roots was closely related to germplasm and harvest time, resulting in different optimum harvest dates for these three Danshen germplasm varieties in order to obtain the highest content of bioactive components. As each medicinal product has its own content requirement for different bioactive compounds, the best harvest time might be identified according to the accumulation dynamics of target compounds in a selected Danshen germplasm. This may be critical for the quality control of Danshen cultivation.