Abstract: The essential oils of Saururus chinensis and Houttuynia cordata were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Eighty-eight constituents were isolated and identified in all, of which 36 from the aerial parts and 31 from the rhizome of S. chinensis, accounted for 73.38% and 95.53%, respectively, and only 13 compounds were find simultaneously in both parts. Fifty constituents were isolated and identified from H. cordata, accounted for 74.59%. The chemical components of the essential oils from S. chinensis in different medicament portions were various and there was no methyl-n-nonlyketone in S. chinensis.

Key words: Saururus chinensis, different medicament portions, Houttuynia cordata, essential oil, methyl-n-only-ketone