HPLC analysis of sennosides A and B in Sennae folium and fructus. A proposal for the European Pharmacopeia monographs

The current monographs in the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur. 7.3) for Senna pods and Senna leaves describe a photometric assay based on the Borntraeger reaction to determine hydroxyanthracene glycosides, calculated as sennoside B. The method is time consuming, unspecific for sennosides and the precision is not adequate for a modern assay. Its adapation to herbal medicinal products is complex and the method is not suitable for process validation. According to references [1] about 70% of the total anthraquinone content is due to sennosides A and B. These substances are therefore suitable for the standardisation…