inner) of sugars and sapogenins (m/z 475 for protopanaxatriol; m/z 459 for protopanaxadiol), while the intact glycosyl portion could be characterized by characteristic Z0α+, Cnα+, and Cnβ+ (n = 2 or 3) obtained in the positive mode. Ultimately, a total of 30 saponins were characterized from XST. Compared with the roots of P. notoginseng, three malonyl-ginsenosides, ginsenoside Rd, and gyponoside XVII (or its isomer) were almost undetectable, and showed potential significance for their differentiation. Conclusion The established LC-MS profiling approach is powerful for the chemical analysis of P. notoginseng and its preparations such as XST."/>