Abstract：Anemarrhena asphodeloides are commonly used in clinical researches. Their quality is affected by various factors, including sources, cultivation practices, growth conditions, processing methods and others. In order to control the quality, various quality indicators and methods were adopted. The most principal chemical composition of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, are timosaponins and xanthones. It is, therefore, important to establish quality standards to evaluate the contents and other factors of the two compounds in medicinal substances. Sarsasapogenin can be obtained after the major timosaponins acid hydrolysis, so the old indices are still valid. This paper reviews the quality control markers and methods of Anearrhena asphodeloides Bunge in recent years, and the quality and various factors affected such as producing areas，cultivating measures, collecting time, processing methods, etc.
2010, Vol. 28 
