The Atractylodes lancea rhizome used as an ingredient of Kampo medicines is a natural medicine derived fom plants in the aster family (Compositae) found in China. Regional differences in quality are observed. To produce Kampo medicines with consistent quality, a componential analysis of the Atractylodes lancea rhizome material was carried out by two types of chromatography, and the MT system was applied to the included quantities often components having pharmacological effects. A unit space was constructed, referenced to specimens from regions described in classical literature as producing superior quality. The distances between specimens from eighteen production sites in China were determined by the inverse matrix method. Components were selected for each region and a classification was made from differences in the contribution ratio of the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and sensitivity (S) of the ten components. As a result, it was found that the regions could be roughly classified into four north-south-east-west patterns centered on the production sites used in the unit space. The results obtained by the MT system also enabled the results of the componential analysis to be interpreted more precisely.
