An advanced and reliable HPLC-MS method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of eight active components (ginsenosides Rf, Rg(2), Rg(3), Rh, and Rh-2, gomisin A, methylophioponanone B and schizandrin) in Sheng-Mai San, a traditional Chinese medicine. The elution of multiple components was performed using a C-18 column with stepwise gradient elution. The detection of individual analytes was monitored by electrospray MS scanning from 300 to 1000 m/z in the positive ion mode, with the limits of detection of these components ranging from 0.06 to 1 mu g/mL at a signal-to-noise ratio of >= 5. The intra- and inter-day accuracies ranged from 95.1 to 104.4%, and the overall precision was less than 9.3%. The recoveries of the analytes were >= 96.6%. The method was validated and found suitable for the determination of active components present in Sheng-Mai San preparation.
