Radix bupleuri decoction pieces and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a Chinese thorowax root decoction piece and a preparation method thereof, and relates to the technical field of Chinese thorowax root decoction pieces, the preparation method of the Chinese thorowax root decoction piece comprises the following steps: slicing fresh and clean Chinese thorowax root, and then carrying out low-temperature plasma treatment to obtain pretreated Chinese thorowax root pieces; and drying the pretreated radix bupleuri slices by adopting a magnetic field heat treatment mode to obtain the radix bupleuri decoction pieces. Compared with a traditional radix bupleuri decoction piece preparation process, a low-temperature plasma technology and a magnetic field heat treatment technology are innovatively introduced, the content of effective components such as saikoside in the obtained radix bupleuri decoction pieces and the quality stability of the effective components are remarkably improved, and the risk of generating aflatoxin during storage is effectively reduced; and moreover, the time-consuming moistening process in the traditional process is omitted, the preparation efficiency is greatly improved, and a new process is provided for processing and production of the radix bupleuri decoction pieces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bupleurum root slices, in particular to bupleurum root slices and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Bupleurum, a traditional and commonly used Chinese medicinal herb, holds a prominent position in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its slightly cold nature, bitter and pungent flavor, and its entry into the Liver and Gallbladder Meridians, have the effects of dispersing fever, relieving liver depression, and elevating Yang Qi. It is widely used to treat colds, fevers, alternating chills and fever, chest and flank pain, menstrual irregularities, uterine prolapse, and rectal prolapse. In clinical practice, Bupleurum is often used in the form of decoction pieces, and the quality of these pieces is directly related to their clinical efficacy and safety.

[0003] The traditional preparation process for Bupleurum root slices mainly includes cleaning, air-drying, washing, cutting, and drying. The washing and soaking process usually uses a steaming method, which involves placing the washed Bupleurum root under certain humidity and temperature conditions and allowing it to naturally absorb water for about 20 hours to achieve the purpose of softening. However, this traditional process has many drawbacks: 1. From the perspective of the content of active ingredients, the traditional steaming process takes a long time and the environmental conditions are difficult to accurately control, which can easily lead to chemical reactions such as hydrolysis and oxidation of some active ingredients in Bupleurum, such as saikosaponins, resulting in the loss of active ingredients.

[0004] 2. Traditional preparation processes also face challenges in terms of quality stability. During the steaming process, the bupleurum root is exposed to a relatively humid environment, creating favorable conditions for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. If sanitary conditions are not properly controlled during the steaming process, mold and other microorganisms can easily grow. These microorganisms not only affect the appearance and odor of the bupleurum slices but may also continue to multiply during subsequent storage, causing the slices to deteriorate.

[0005] 3. The traditional process of steaming and moistening is time-consuming, which significantly prolongs the preparation cycle of Bupleurum slices, reduces production efficiency, and increases production costs. In today's context of rapid development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry and increasing demands for Chinese medicine quality and production efficiency, the traditional Bupleurum slice preparation process is no longer able to meet market demand. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a radix bupleuri decoction piece and a preparation method thereof.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing bupleurum slices, the method comprising the following steps: Fresh and clean bupleurum root was sliced ​​and then treated with low-temperature plasma to obtain pretreated bupleurum slices; Drying the pretreated bupleurum slices by a magnetic field heat treatment method to obtain the bupleurum slices; Wherein, the magnetic field heat treatment includes the following process: Performing a first magnetic field heat treatment for 30 to 60 minutes at a magnetic field intensity of 0.1 to 0.4 T and a temperature of 45 to 50° C.; The second magnetic field heat treatment is performed for 60-90 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.6-1.0T and a temperature of 60-65°C.

[0008] Furthermore, the working condition parameters of the first magnetic field heat treatment include: magnetic field intensity of 0.3T, temperature of 48°C, and time of 45 minutes.

[0009] Furthermore, the working condition parameters of the second magnetic field heat treatment include: magnetic field intensity of 0.8T, temperature of 63°C, and time of 75 minutes.

[0010] Furthermore, the low-temperature plasma treatment includes the following process: The radix bupleuri root slices were flattened in the cavity of a low-temperature plasma treatment device and evacuated. When the vacuum degree of the cavity reached below 10 Pa, argon gas was introduced and low-temperature plasma treatment was performed for 90 to 120 seconds at an argon flow rate of 10 to 20 sccm and a power supply of 65 to 75 W to obtain the pretreated radix bupleuri slices.

[0011] Furthermore, the power of the power supply is 70W, and the time of the low-temperature plasma treatment is 105 seconds.

[0012] Furthermore, the root head diameter of the fresh and clean Bupleurum root is ≥0.5 cm.

[0013] Furthermore, the thickness of the pretreated Bupleurum slices is 3-4 mm.

[0014] In a second aspect, based on the same inventive concept, the present invention provides a Bupleurum decoction piece, which is prepared by the preparation method of the Bupleurum decoction piece described in any one of the first aspects.

[0015] Furthermore, the content of aflatoxin B1 in the Bupleurum slices after accelerated testing is ≤1.9 μg / kg; wherein, the working condition parameters of the accelerated test include: temperature of 40°C, relative humidity RH of 75%, and time of 6 months.

[0016] The above technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following advantages compared with the prior art: The embodiment of the present invention provides a bupleurum slice and a preparation method thereof. Compared with the traditional bupleurum slice preparation process, the present invention innovatively introduces low-temperature plasma technology and magnetic field heat treatment technology, which not only significantly improves the content of effective ingredients such as saikosaponins in the obtained bupleurum slice and its quality stability, but also effectively reduces the risk of aflatoxin production during storage; the present invention also omits the time-consuming steaming process in the traditional process, greatly improving the preparation efficiency, and providing a new process for the processing and production of bupleurum slices. Specifically: 1) On the one hand, the present invention uses low-temperature plasma to treat Bupleurum root slices, which can not only quickly sterilize and preserve the Bupleurum root slices, but also enhance the permeability of the Bupleurum root slices in an environment without high heat and humidity, playing a similar softening role. This allows the heat and magnetic field of the subsequent magnetic field heat treatment to act more deeply into the tissue of the Bupleurum root slices, creating favorable conditions for the subsequent magnetic field heat treatment; 2) On the other hand, during the magnetic field heat treatment drying process, pre-drying is first carried out under weak magnetic field (0.1~0.4T) and low temperature (45~50℃) conditions. The Lorentz force acts on water molecules and polar molecules (such as saikosaponins) to directionalize the molecular dipole moments, which is beneficial to improving the subsequent drying effect under medium-strong magnetic field (0.6~1.0T) and medium-high temperature (60~65℃) conditions. At the same time, the gradual drying method of two-stage gradient magnetic field heat treatment can effectively reduce the thermal shock of traditional medium-high temperature heat drying on fresh-cut Bupleurum root slices, thereby reducing the loss of effective ingredients in Bupleurum root slices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0018] Unless otherwise specified, the various raw materials, reagents, instruments and equipment used in the present invention can be purchased from the market or prepared by existing methods. At the same time, the steps and parameters involved in the present invention, if not specifically limited or specifically specified, can be carried out in accordance with the preparation process of Bupleurum slices disclosed in the prior art or directly using existing equipment. For example, the magnetic field heat treatment process has no strict exclusive limitations or special technical requirements for the equipment. As long as the drying is carried out under the preset magnetic field strength and temperature parameters, the existing magnetic field heat treatment equipment such as the magnetic field heating furnace with equipment model GC800-15 or GC800-30, the magnetic induction thermal reactor with equipment model MTR-1, the magnetic field assisted drying box with equipment model MFT10 / MFT50, etc. can be used, or a suitable external magnetic field can be built on the basis of the existing heating medicinal material dryer (for example, a magnetic field generating module such as an electromagnetic coil, a permanent magnet array, etc. can be installed inside or outside the dryer), etc., which can achieve heating and drying of the medicinal materials in a magnetic field environment. The present invention document will not go into details one by one.

[0019] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific examples. It should be understood that these examples are intended to illustrate the present invention only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The experimental methods in the following examples where specific conditions are not specified are generally measured in accordance with national standards. If there are no corresponding national standards, then the methods are carried out in accordance with general international standards, conventional conditions, or the conditions recommended by the manufacturer.

[0020] Example 1 This example provides a radix bupleuri decoction piece, and the preparation method of the radix bupleuri decoction piece comprises the following steps: Step (1): remove the mud and residual stems from fresh Bupleurum root (specifically, Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm), wash and drain the surface moisture, and then cut into Bupleurum root slices with a thickness of 3.5 mm; spread the Bupleurum root slices flat in the cavity of a low-temperature plasma treatment device, evacuate the cavity, and when the vacuum degree of the cavity reaches below 10 Pa, introduce argon gas, and perform low-temperature plasma treatment for 105 seconds under the conditions of an argon flow rate of 15 sccm and a power supply of 70 W to obtain the pretreated Bupleurum slices; Step (2): placing the pretreated Bupleurum slices obtained in step (1) in a magnetic field heat treatment device (specific equipment model is GC800-30), first performing a first magnetic field heat treatment for 45 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.3T and a temperature of 48°C, then performing a second magnetic field heat treatment for 75 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.8T and a temperature of 63°C, and cooling to room temperature to obtain the Bupleurum slices.

[0021] Example 2 This example provides a radix bupleuri decoction piece, and the preparation method of the radix bupleuri decoction piece comprises the following steps: Step (1): remove the mud and residual stems from fresh Bupleurum root (specifically, Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm), wash and drain the surface moisture, and then cut into Bupleurum root slices with a thickness of 3.0 mm; spread the Bupleurum root slices flat in the cavity of a low-temperature plasma treatment device, evacuate the cavity, and when the vacuum degree of the cavity reaches below 10 Pa, introduce argon gas, and perform low-temperature plasma treatment for 120 seconds under the conditions of an argon flow rate of 10 sccm and a power supply of 65 W to obtain the pretreated Bupleurum slices; Step (2): placing the pretreated Bupleurum slices obtained in step (1) in a magnetic field heat treatment device (specific equipment model is GC800-30), first performing a first magnetic field heat treatment for 60 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.1T and a temperature of 45°C, then performing a second magnetic field heat treatment for 60 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.6T and a temperature of 65°C, and cooling to room temperature to obtain the Bupleurum slices.

[0022] Example 3 This example provides a radix bupleuri decoction piece, and the preparation method of the radix bupleuri decoction piece comprises the following steps: Step (1): remove the mud and residual stems from fresh Bupleurum root (specifically, Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm), wash and drain the surface moisture, and then cut into Bupleurum root slices with a thickness of 4.0 mm; spread the Bupleurum root slices flat in the cavity of a low-temperature plasma treatment device, evacuate the cavity, and when the vacuum degree of the cavity reaches below 10 Pa, introduce argon gas, and perform low-temperature plasma treatment for 90 seconds under the conditions of an argon flow rate of 20 sccm and a power supply of 75 W to obtain the pretreated Bupleurum slices; Step (2): placing the pretreated Bupleurum slices obtained in step (1) in a magnetic field heat treatment device (specific equipment model is GC800-30), first performing a first magnetic field heat treatment for 30 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.4T and a temperature of 50°C, then performing a second magnetic field heat treatment for 90 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 1.0T and a temperature of 60°C, and cooling to room temperature to obtain the Bupleurum slices.

[0023] Comparative Example 1 This example provides a method for preparing Bupleurum slices based on traditional fresh-cutting technology, comprising the following steps: Fresh Bupleurum root (specifically Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm) was cleaned of mud, sand, and residual stems, washed, and drained of surface moisture, and then cut into Bupleurum root slices with a thickness of 3.5 mm; the Bupleurum root slices were placed in an oven for drying at 63°C for 120 minutes, and cooled to room temperature to obtain Bupleurum decoction slices.

[0024] Comparative Example 2 This example provides a method for preparing Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces using a traditional steaming process, comprising the following steps: Fresh Bupleurum root (specifically Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm) was cleaned of mud, sand and residual stems, washed and sprayed with water accounting for 0.5 times the weight of the fresh Bupleurum root for 24 hours; after the soaking, the Bupleurum root was sliced ​​to a thickness of 3.5 mm; the Bupleurum root slices were placed in an oven for drying at 63°C for 120 minutes, and cooled to room temperature to obtain Bupleurum decoction slices.

[0025] Comparative Example 3 This example provides a Bupleurum root slice and a preparation method thereof, which differs from Example 1 only in that low-temperature plasma technology is not used in step (1).

[0026] The preparation method of the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces comprises the following steps: Step (1): remove the mud and residual stems from fresh Bupleurum root (specifically Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm), wash it, drain the surface water, and then cut it into slices with a thickness of 3.5 mm; Step (2): placing the Bupleurum root slices obtained in step (1) in a magnetic field heat treatment device, first performing a first magnetic field heat treatment for 45 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.3T and a temperature of 48°C, then performing a second magnetic field heat treatment for 75 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.8T and a temperature of 63°C, and cooling to room temperature to obtain the Bupleurum decoction slices.

[0027] Comparative Example 4 This example provides a Bupleurum root slice and a preparation method thereof, which differs from Example 1 only in that drying is not performed under a magnetic field environment in step (2).

[0028] The preparation method of the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces comprises the following steps: Step (1): remove the mud and residual stems from fresh Bupleurum root (specifically Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm), wash it, drain the surface water, and then cut it into slices with a thickness of 3.5 mm; Step (2): placing the Bupleurum root slices obtained in step (1) in an oven, first performing a first drying treatment at a temperature of 48° C. for 45 minutes, then performing a second drying treatment at a temperature of 63° C. for 75 minutes, and cooling to room temperature to obtain the Bupleurum decoction slices.

[0029] Comparative Example 5 This example provides a radix bupleuri decoction piece and a preparation method thereof, which differs from Example 1 only in that a gradual drying method using a gradient magnetic field heat treatment is not used in step (2).

[0030] The preparation method of the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces comprises the following steps: Step (1): remove the mud and residual stems from fresh Bupleurum root (specifically, Bupleurum chinense, with a root head diameter of 0.8±0.1 cm), wash and drain the surface moisture, and then cut into Bupleurum root slices with a thickness of 3.5 mm; spread the Bupleurum root slices flat in the cavity of a low-temperature plasma treatment device, evacuate the cavity, and when the vacuum degree of the cavity reaches below 10 Pa, introduce argon gas, and perform low-temperature plasma treatment for 105 seconds under the conditions of an argon flow rate of 15 sccm and a power supply of 70 W to obtain the pretreated Bupleurum slices; Step (2): placing the pretreated Bupleurum slices obtained in step (1) in a magnetic field heat treatment device, performing a second magnetic field heat treatment for 120 minutes at a magnetic field intensity of 0.8 T and a temperature of 63° C., and cooling to room temperature to obtain the Bupleurum slices.

[0031] Test Example 1 In this example, the content of saikosaponin a and saikosaponin d in the Bupleurum slices obtained in Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5 were detected with reference to the high performance liquid chromatography method (General Rule 0512) recorded in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The total content of saikosaponin a and saikosaponin d was measured as shown in Table 1.

[0032] Table 1 It can be seen from Table 1 that compared with Comparative Examples 1 to 5, the content of saikosaponin in the Bupleurum decoction pieces obtained in Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention is significantly improved, and the quality of the Bupleurum decoction pieces is higher.

[0033] Test Example 2 Based on Test Example 1, the present invention further sealed the Bupleurum slices obtained in Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 2 in polyethylene plastic packaging bags and then subjected them to an accelerated test at 40°C and RH 75% for 6 months. After the accelerated test, the aflatoxin B1 content in each sample was detected by chromatography (chromatographic conditions included: a mobile phase consisting of methanol:acetonitrile:water in a volume ratio of 30:10:60, isocratic elution, a flow rate, column temperature, and injection volume of 1.0 mL / min, 35°C, and 10 μL, respectively, and a fluorescence detector with an excitation wavelength of 360 nm and an emission wavelength of 440 nm, respectively). The test results are shown in Table 2.

[0034] Table 2 As shown in Table 2, compared to Comparative Example 2, the aflatoxin B1 content of the Bupleurum slices obtained in Examples 1-3 of the present invention after accelerated testing was ≤1.9 μg / kg, significantly lower than the standard specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (aflatoxin B1 limit of 5 μg / kg), demonstrating long-term stability. Furthermore, other parameters of the Bupleurum slices obtained in Examples of the present invention, such as moisture content and alcohol-soluble extract content, met the requirements of the Pharmacopoeia.

[0035] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention provide a bupleurum decoction piece and a preparation method thereof. Compared with the traditional bupleurum decoction piece preparation process, the present invention innovatively introduces low-temperature plasma technology and magnetic field heat treatment technology, which not only significantly improves the content of effective ingredients such as saikosaponins in the obtained bupleurum decoction piece and its quality stability, but also effectively reduces the risk of aflatoxin production during storage; and the present invention omits the time-consuming steaming process in the traditional process, greatly improves the preparation efficiency, and provides a new process for the processing and production of bupleurum decoction pieces.

[0036] Various embodiments of the present invention may be presented in the form of a range; it should be understood that the description in a range format is only for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention; therefore, the range description should be considered to have specifically disclosed all possible subranges and single numerical values ​​within the range. For example, the description of a range from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6, etc., as well as single numbers within the range, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, regardless of the range. In addition, whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is intended to include any cited numeral (fractional or integer) within the indicated range.

[0037] The foregoing description is intended only to provide specific embodiments of the present invention, which will enable those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A method for preparing Bupleurum slices, characterized in that: The preparation method of the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces comprises the following steps: Fresh and clean bupleurum root was sliced ​​and then treated with low-temperature plasma to obtain pretreated bupleurum slices; Drying the pretreated bupleurum slices by a magnetic field heat treatment method to obtain the bupleurum slices; Wherein, the magnetic field heat treatment includes the following process: Performing a first magnetic field heat treatment for 30 to 60 minutes at a magnetic field intensity of 0.1 to 0.4 T and a temperature of 45 to 50° C.; The second magnetic field heat treatment is performed for 60-90 minutes under the conditions of a magnetic field intensity of 0.6-1.0T and a temperature of 60-65°C.

2. The method for preparing the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces according to claim 1, wherein The working condition parameters of the first magnetic field heat treatment include: magnetic field intensity of 0.3T, temperature of 48°C, and time of 45 minutes.

3. The method for preparing the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces according to claim 1, wherein The working condition parameters of the second magnetic field heat treatment include: magnetic field intensity of 0.8T, temperature of 63°C, and time of 75 minutes.

4. The method for preparing the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces according to claim 1, wherein The low temperature plasma treatment includes the following processes: The radix bupleuri root slices were flattened in the cavity of a low-temperature plasma treatment device and evacuated. When the vacuum degree of the cavity reached below 10 Pa, argon gas was introduced and low-temperature plasma treatment was performed for 90 to 120 seconds at an argon flow rate of 10 to 20 sccm and a power supply of 65 to 75 W to obtain the pretreated radix bupleuri slices.

5. The method for preparing the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power of the power supply is 70W, and the time of the low-temperature plasma treatment is 105 seconds.

6. The method for preparing the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The root head diameter of the fresh and clean Bupleurum root is ≥0.5 cm.

7. The method for preparing the Radix Bupleuri decoction pieces according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The thickness of the pretreated Bupleurum slices is 3-4 mm.

8. A Bupleurum slice, characterized in that: The radix bupleuri decoction pieces are prepared by the preparation method of the radix bupleuri decoction pieces according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The Bupleurum Radix decoction pieces according to claim 8, characterized in that The content of aflatoxin B1 in the Bupleurum slices after accelerated testing is ≤1.9 μg / kg; wherein, the working condition parameters of the accelerated test include: temperature of 40° C., relative humidity RH of 75%, and time of 6 months.

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