Abstract:Objective: To select the extraction technigues for Zishen Ningshen decoction. Method: By the experiment of locomotor activity and sleep in mice, four extraction techniques, i.e. water-extraction, alcohol-extraction, water-extraction with alcohol-precipitation, water-extraction and partial alcohol-extraction, were evaluated. Result: The extracts of water-extraction and alcohol-precipitation and water-extraction could significantly decrease the locomotor activity, significantly prolong the sleeping time induced by the under-threshold doses pentobarbital sodium, and the extract of partial water-extraction with partial alcohol-extraction could significantly prolong the sleeping time induced by the threshold doses pentobarbital sodium; and the four extracts all could improve the sleeping rate of the mice, among which water-extraction with alcohol-precipitation extract performed best. Conclusion: The water-extraction alcohol-precipitation was selected as the extraction technique for Zishen Ningshen decoction.