Objective: To establish a fast method to evaluate the geographic origins of salviae miltiorrhizae radix et rhizoma and the contents of salvianolic acid B based on infrared spectroscopy (IR). Method: IR spectra of forty samples collected from 4 different origins were analyzed to search for the characteristic peaks on second derivative (2D) spectra to reflect the characteristics of origin

also to search for a characteristic peak on normalized spectra for fast quantitation of salvianolic acid B. Result: Some characteristic peaks on 2D spectra were found which reflect 4 different origins. The intensity of 1 262 cm-1 on normalized spectra was found to correlate well with the content of salvianolic acid B determined by high performance liquid chromatography

which realize the fast quantitative analysis of salvianolic acid B. Conclusion: The proposed IR method provides a new alternative of fast quality evaluation of salviae miltiorrhizae radix et rhizoma for manufacture of traditional Chinese medicine.