PRELIMINARY IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN THE ETHANOL EXTRACT OF THE ROOTS OF THE HERB FERULA FOETIDA

Abstract

Ferula foetida is a traditional medicinal herb, and its roots contain various bioactive components. In this study, dried roots of Ferula foetida were used as raw material. The total extract (4.4 g from 80 g of raw material) was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction with 96% ethanol, followed by concentration using rotary evaporation. After dispersing the total extract in an aqueous phase, liquid-liquid extraction with petroleum ether (PE) and dichloromethane (DCM) was performed to yield the PE (1.46 g) and DCM (0.19 g) fractions. These fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method (GC-MS) and the results evaluated 32 compounds in PE fraction and 79 components in DCM fraction. This study preliminarily established a sequential extraction method for organic compounds from the roots of this herb, laying a foundation for the subsequent separation, purification, and structural identification of chemical constituents in fractions of different polarities. Preliminary analysis indicates that the PE and DCM fractions are mainly enriched in low-polarity components, which can be further identified by techniques such as HPLC, LC-MS, and NMR.