Objectives : This study was performed to investigate the discriminative criteria of 6 kinds of Achyranthis Radix by HPLC/DAD. Methods : 20-hydroxyecdysone is isolated by silica gel column chromatography ($CHCl_3$:MeOH, 7:1-1:1 v/v) and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance, A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection was used to identify 20-hydroxyecdysone in A. japonica. The analysis was performed using $C_{18}$ column with isocratic elution consisted of 18% acetonitrile and 82% water and the detection was carried out by DAD at 254 nm. 6 kinds of Achyranthis Radix from different locations were extracted in MeOH. Each extracts was analyzed by HPLC in same condition as used in analysis of 20-hydroxyecdysone. The identities of each extracts were determined by comparing the retention time and UV spectrum with that of reference compound. Results : 1. A. japonica and A. bidentata showed the similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram and 20-hydroxycedysone was present in both of them because the peaks having the same retention time and UV spectrum as 20-hydroxyecdysone were shown in the HPLC chromatograms of A. japonica and A. bidentata 2. Cyathula officinalis and C. capitata showed the similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram. The peak having the same retention time and UV spectrum as 20-hydroxyecdysone was shown in the HPLC chromatogram of C. capitata but not shown in the HPLC chromatogram of C. officinalis. 3. Two species of medicinal drugs from Sacheon province showed similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram. Achyranthis Radix from Sacheon(wild) did not have 20-hydroxycedysone but Achyranthis Radix from Sacheon(cultivated) showed the peak having the same retention time as 20-hydroxyecdysone but UV spectrum of the peak was different from that of 20-hydroxyecdysone. Conclusions : These results suggested that 20-hydroxyecdysone could be the discriminative criteria for Achyranthis Radix contain 20-hydroxyecdysone though they belong to different genus and species. And the patterns of HPLC chromatogram also could be the discriminative criteria as the different species of Achyranthis Radix belonging to the same genus showed similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram.