Abstract
An electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI-MS)-based metabolomic approach was applied to Sophora flavescens to identify the geographical origin of each sample. The score plot from principal component analysis using the EI-MS data showed that Japanese S. flavescens samples tended to cluster away from Chinese S. flavescens samples. Statistical techniques showed that ions arising from kurarinol and kushenol H, which we previously identified as marker molecules for Japanese S. flavescens, were characteristic of Japanese S. flavescens. Therefore, metabolomics based on EI-MS data is a valuable tool for confirming the geographical origins of S. flavescens samples. The results suggest that EI-MS-based metabolomics is suitable for the quality control of traditional medicines containing many components.