Objective: To study the correlation between gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) fingerprint of the essential oil of Amomi Fructus and anti-inflammatory activity

and to provide a reference for revealing its efficacy material basis of anti-inflammatory. Method: The fingerprints of the essential oil of Amomi Fructus from different habitats (Amomum villosum from Guangxi

Wuchuan

Panlong

Chuncheng and Yongning;A. villosum

xanthioides Wu et Senjen from Yunnan and Myanmar) were established by GC-MS

and anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oil was observed by the ear swelling caused by dimethylbenzene in mice. The 90 mice were randomly divided into the model group

the dexamethasone group (12.5 mg·kg-1)

the Guangxi

Wuchuan

Panlong

Chuncheng

Yongning

Yunnan and Myanmar groups(3.2 g·kg-1) of 10 mice each. The mice in the model group were intragastrically administrated with normal saline and the other mice were intragastrically administrated with the corresponding medicines once daily for 4 days. The correlation between the fingerprint and anti-inflammatory activity was analyzed by grey relational analysis. Result: The GC-MS fingerprint of the essential oil of Amomi Fructus was established from different habitats

and 13 common peaks were identified. Compared with model group

the essential oils from Guangxi and Chuncheng had no obvious anti-inflammatory activity

and the others had obvious anti-inflammatory activity as compared to the dexamethasone group (P <0.05

P <0.01). The correlation between GC-MS fingerprint and the anti-inflammatory activity was from 0.857~0.734

with ranking of borneol >linalool >camphor >α-terpineol >α-bergamotenol >D-limonene >bomyl acetate >α-santalol >myrcene >spathulenol >α-juniper alcohol >camphene >α-pinene. Conclusion: The anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oil of Amomi Fructus may be the combined effect of a variety of chemical constituents. There are definite correlations between the abundant borneol

linalool from Wuchuan

Yongning and the anti-inflammatory activity.