To observe the middle-warming and cold-dissipating pharmacological effect and mechanism of flavonoids in three Alpinia herbal medicines:Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum(RAO),Rhizoma Alpiniae Galanga(RAG) and Fructus Alpiniae Galangae(FAG),and to explore the relationship between “genetic relationship-active ingredient-effect” of Chinese herbal medicines.Methods:Rats were given cold water decoction of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae and 15% glacial acetic acid to prepare a cold-syndrome gastric ulcer model.The effect of flavonoids in the three Alpinia herbal medicines on the behavioral signs of rats was observed,and the serum content of nitric oxide(NO),endothelin(ET),platelet-activating factor(PAF),thromboxane B2(TXB2),and cortisol(COR) was determined.Results:Compared with the normal group,the model group had dirty and messy hair,poor mental state,decreased body weight,average daily food intake and water intake,and lowered rectal temperature,and the content of NO was decreased while the content of ET,PAF,TXB2,and COR was increased(P<0.01).Compared with the conditions in the model group,the body weight of RAO high-dose group and RAG high-dose group was elevated(P<0.05); food intake was enhanced in RAG high-dose group and FAG high-and low-dose groups(P<0.05 or P<0.01); water intake and rectal temperature in RAO,RAG and FAG high-dose groups were increased,with recovered hair and mental status(P<0.05); the content of NO in RAO high-and low-dose groups as well as RAG and FAG high-dose groups was elevated(P<0.05 or P<0.01) while the content of COR was reduced(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The content of ET in all high-and low-dose administration groups was lowered(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and there were significant differences in water and food intake and content of NO and ET(P<0.05 or P<0.01) in the administration groups.The RAO and FAG high-dose groups and RAG high-and low-dose groups had reduced content of PAF and TXB.Conclusion:Flavonoids in three Alpinia herbal medicines had the effect of resisting cold-syndrome gastric ulcer,and there were certain correlations and differences between the drug effects.The mechanism might be related to the increase of NO content and the decrease of ET,PAF,TXB2,and COR content in serum.