Abstract: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to establish the characteristic fingerprint of Semiaquilegiae Radix and to determine the content of lithospermoside and griffonilide. The chromatographic conditions were as follows: TSKgel ODS-100V (250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm), acetonitrile-0.2% phosphoric acid solution as mobile phase, flow rate of 0.4 mL·min^-1, and detection wavelength of 258 nm. Cluster analysis was performed to compare the drugs of Semiaquilegiae Radix of different origins and batches. Eight common peaks were determined and two chromatographic peaks were identified with the use of the similarity evaluation system of traditional Chinese medicine fingerprint. The similarity among 15 batches of medicinal materials was more than 0.90. The method is simple and stable, producing authentic and reliable data. It can be used as the research evidence of quality identification, quality control, and resource development and utilization in Semiaquilegiae Radix.

Key words: Semiaquilegiae Radix, HPLC, content determination, characteristic fingerprint, cluster analysis