OBJECTIVE To develop a RP-HPLC-ELSD method for the simultaneous determination of five glycosides in Aidi injection. METHODS The separation was carried out at 35 degrees C on a Kromasil C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) eluted with acetonitrile and water as the mobile phases in gradient mode. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The SHIMADZU ELSD-LT II detector was used. The detector temperature was at 40 degrees C and the pressure of carrier gas N2 was 0.35 MPa. RESULTS The linear response (the natural logarithm of peak areas with corresponding mass) ranges were 21.2-212 mg x L(-1) for syringin, 30.8-308 mg x L(-1) for ginsenoside Rg1, 24.8-248 mg x L(-1) for ginsenoside Re, 25.6-256 mg x L(-1) for ginsenoside Rb1, 31.2-312 mg x L(-1), for astragaloside IV, respectively. The average recoveries (n = 9) of five glycosides were greater than 97.6%, and RSD were less than 1.1%. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrated that this method had adequate accuracy and selectivity to measure the concentrations of five glycosides in Aidi injection.