A simple reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method coupled with a photodiode array detector (PAD) has been developed and validated for the analysis of hederacoside C, the marker of ivy plant, in Ivy-Thyme cough syrup. Separation of hederacoside C was achieved using a Phenomenex-Gemini C18 column isothermally at C. A mobile phase system constituted of solvent A (water: acetonitrile: orthophosphoric acid (85%), 860？:？140？:？2？v/v) and solvent B (acetonitrile: orthophosphoric acid (85%), 998？:？2？v/v) was used, at gradient conditions, at a flow rate of 1.5？mL/min. Analysis was performed using UV-detection (205？nm). The method was linear over the range (0.03–0.15)？mg/mL of hederacoside C ( ). Repeatability and intermediate precision were acceptable (RSD %). Limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were 0.011 and 0.032？mg/mL, respectively. Percentage recovery was found to lie between 99.69% and 100.90% (RSD %). The method was also proved to be specific (peak-purity ). 1. Introduction In recent years there has been a growing interest in the therapeutic use of herbal medicines or phytopharmaceutical products [1, 2]. The reasons of such interest can be referred mainly to the fears of abuse and misuse of synthetic drugs, the side effects or inefficacy of conventional medicine, the access to conventional pharmacological treatment is not available to whole population, and the suggestions regarding the safety of natural products [3]. Ivy-Thyme cough syrup is an herbal medicine that combines the extract of Hedera helix (English ivy, family: Lamiaceae) leaves along with the extract of Thymus vulgaris (thyme, family: Araliaceae) herb for the purpose of cough treatment. As a medicinal plant, H. helix leaf extract is approved by the German Commission E [4] for its efficacy against chronic inflammatory bronchial conditions and productive coughs due to its actions as an expectorant and its spasmolytic effect among children and adults [5, 6]. These effects are attributable, in particular, to the therapeutically important constituents of the ivy leaf extract, which belong to the class of triterpene saponins such as hederacoside C (Figure 1), a marker and an active ingredient of ivy leaf extract [7–10]. On the other hand, thyme is a medicinal herb whose leaf extract is approved by commission E in the treatment of bronchitis, whooping cough, and upper respiratory inflammation. Thyme and its various extracts are well known for their bronchospasmolytic, expectorant, and antibacterial effects [11]. These latter effects are most likely
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