Abstract: AIM: To study the effects of different dose proportioning the danggui-shaoyao powder (DS)on learning and memory and the content of NO in brain in mice.METHODS: The ability of learning and memory was measured by the step-through task and the water maze task.The content of NO in brain was determined referring to the reagent manual.RESULTS: All different dose proportion of DS promoted the memory of normal mice. And only DS 1 (1:5.4)and DS 3 (1:1.34)obviously improved the scopolamine-induced mice passive avoidance handicap, prolonged the latency, and decreased number of errors.DS 3(1:1.34)obviously improved reserpineinduced mice spatial orientation handicap and prolonged the latency;others had no remarkable effect on spatial orientation handicap of mice.And all different dose proportions of DS could reduce the content of NO in the brain of passive avoidance disruption mice induced by scopolamine.CONCLUSION: DS 3 (1:1.34)improves passive avoidance handicap and spatial orientation handicap of mice, and reduced the content of NO in the brain of passive avoidance handicap mice induced by scopolamine.The effect of DS 3(1:1.34)is the best on benefiting memory.

Key words: compatibility of medicine, learning, memory, nitric oxide