Analysis of active compounds and geographical origin discrimination of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. by using high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection fingerprints combined with chemometrics

•ATLD algorithm assisted HPLC-DAD strategy was presented for simultaneous quantification 12 active compounds in AM.•A series of experimental results demonstrate the reliability of the “second-order advantage”.•113 AM samples from three origins were correctly classified by using HPLC-DAD fingerprints combined with chemometrics.•4 characteristic compounds were screened and identified as chemical markers by VIP analysis.•There are correlations between active compounds and geographical origins of AM.