An analytic hierarchy process multi-criteria quantitative evaluation model of cinnamon decoction pieces

Background: The dried bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum is a well-known medicinal constituent owing to its latent health benefits. The establishment of a wide-ranging and objective quality assessment method is a tricky to be solved instantly by cinnamon and other medicinal and edible herbs. Objectives: The objective was to introduce the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to estimate widely and compare the quality of cinnamon decoction pieces. Materials and Methods: The chemical, morphological, and biological indexes of different batches of cinnamon decoction pieces are determined, and then a multi-criteria quantitative assessment model for the quality estimation of cinnamon decoction pieces is documented by adopting AHP. Results: The complete appraisal outcomes of AHP model are dependable with objective evaluation, and the results are unbiased and steady. Conclusion: The AHP multi-criteria quantitative evaluation model can be agreeably adapted to the quality evaluation of multi-component Chinese herbal decoction pieces, providing a new evidence for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.