title: [Analysis on constituents of traditional Chinese medicine galamina].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze constituents of traditional Chinese medicine galamina, and provide basis for the quality control of galamina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Polarization microscope and electron probe were adopted for a qualitative and quantitative analysis on microscopic appearance and micro-area constituents of galamina. Fourty-two elements contained in galamina were determined by the plasma mass-spectrometric method. Zinc oxide, the major constituent of galamina samples, was detected using the pharmacopeia method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The micro-area analysis on galamina samples showed that galamina is mainly constituted by various mineral particulates such as hydrozincite, smithsonite, zinc oxide and dolomite in a loose texture. It is also found that there are many counterfeit galamina sold in the market, marked by a high lead content in natural galamina samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Galamina is a mineral aggregation of multiple natural mineral substances, but those sold in the market has many quality problems. Therefore, a fast method shall be established to identify the authenticity of galamina and a standard shall be set to control harmful elements contained in galamina. It is suggested to conduct in-depth studies on excessive harmful elements contained in galamina medicinal materials.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. yanglianju@163.com
authors.forename: Lianju
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhijie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Raorao
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xuefeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Jingyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000592:standards; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000737:chemistry*; D011786:Quality Control
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations