Objective Compare the differences in material basis and anti-insomnia and anti-anxiety efficacy between Suanzaoren Decoction (SZRD, 酸枣仁汤) and Suanzao Decoction (SZD, 酸枣汤) in the Jin Gui Yao Lue. Methods This study quantifies 20 chemical ingredients as evaluation indicators to establish the boiling methods of SZRD and SZD, based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Qtrap-MS) technology. Moreover, the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS) metabolite identification method specific to the Chinese herbal medicine was used to identify and compare the chemical profile of the two decoctions. Lastly, the p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) induced insomnia model mice were used to evaluate and compare the efficacy of the two decoctions in anti-insomnia and anti-anxiety. Results The method of boiling Suanzaoren in ceramic-coated iron pot for 25 min and adding other herbs then continuing to boil for 40 min can match well with the original records in Jin Gui Yao Lue. When Suanzaoren and Suanzao fruit were both used with the amount of 2 litters in Han Dynasty, the contents of jujuboside A, jujuboside B, spinosin, 6‴-feruloylspinosin, magnoflorine, pachymic acid and ligustilide in SZRD were over 6-fold higher than those in SZD, whereas the contents of liquiritigenin, isoliquiritin, isoliquiritigenin and timosaponin AIII in SZD were over 2 times than those in SZRD. Among the top 100 compounds with the strongest mass spectrometric signals detected in the two decoctions, 42 compounds exhibited higher contents in SZD and 21 compounds were enriched in SZRD. Among the differential compounds, three isoquinoline alkaloids [(-)-isocorypalmine, cheilanthifoline and asimilobine], one pyrrolidine alkaloid (stachydrine) and one steroidal alkaloid (zhebeinine) were further identified. The relative abundances of cheilanthifoline and asimilobine in SZD were 5.2 times and 4.8 times higher than those in SZRD, respectively; meanwhile, the relative abundances of (-)-isocorypalmine, stachydrine and zhebeinine in SZD only reached 0.3, 0.4 and 0.4 times the corresponding values in SZRD. The anti-insomnia and anti-anxiety efficacies of the two decoctions in the PCPA induced insomnia mice are similar to each other, and no statistically significant intergroup difference in their pharmacological efficacy was observed.. Conclusion Under the original decoction method recorded in Jin Gui Yao Lue, SZRD and SZD show significant differences in material basis, yet their similar anti-insomnia and anti-anxiety effects under specific condition may result from the combined actions of multiple active components.

Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chou  /  Ziziphi Spinosae Semen  /  Suanzaoren Decoction  /  liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry  /  insomnia  /  resource development and utilization  /  jujuboside A  /  jujuboside B  /  spinosin  /  magnoflorine  /  pachymic acid  /  ligustilide  /  (-)-isocorypalmine  /  cheilanthifoline  /  asimilobine  /  stachydrine  /  zhebeinine