Figure 5: The HPTLC images of ‘Di-Huang’ are divided four grades. (The figure below is the inverted color image from the upper fluorescence figure for more easy comparison), Track (1) Chemical reference substances: (1) stachyose, (2) raffinose, (3) rehmannioside D, (4) sucrose, (5) fructose, (6) catalpol Track (2) authentic sample of ‘Sheng-Di-Huang’; Track (3) commercial sample of ‘Sheng-Di-Huang’ Track (4) similar appearance of the crude drug with the authentic sample (2) pattern, but catalpol exceptionally disappeared and the rehmanioside D was very weak. (cf. Figure 4) Track (5) – (6) the crude drugs appearances and the HPTLC pattern of the commercial samples were up to the description of ‘Shu-Di-Huang’ in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, but the extent of hydrolysis of the saccharides differ, the monosaccharide – fructose increased drastically. Note that the stachyose (band 1) was relatively more stable than the others. Track (7) an over-steaming-processed sample of ‘Shu-Di-Huang’, almost all the major ingredients disappeared or only residual amounts remained, but fructose being abundant. The blue stars marked in the invert color images (the figure below) showed some weak chemicals which are almost hard to be recognized under deep color background in the original fluorescence image.