AIM To determine the contents of arillanin A,tenuifoliside A and tenuifoliside C in raw Polygalae Radix (root barks),Polygalae Radix duramen,Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-processed Polygalae Radix,waterboiling Polygalae Radix and honey-processed Polygalae Radix.METHODS The analyses of 50％ methanol extracts from samples were performed on a 30 ℃ thermostatic Kromasil C18 column (250 mm ×4.6 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1％ formic acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelength was set at 330 nm.RESULTS The contents of three oligosaccharide esters were the highest in raw Polygalae Radix,followed by those in honey-processed Polygalae Radix,and those in water-boiling Polygalae Radix were the lowest.These constituents also existed in Polygalae Radix duramen,but their contents were lower than those in root barks.CONCLUSION The ester bonds of oligosaccharide esters in Polygalae Radix may be hydrolyzed during processing,followed by the generation of small molecular organic acids.The medication of whole Polygalae Radix (root barks and duramen) can be taken into consideration in clinical practice to reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy.