A fast and simple solvent system screening method was established based on average polarity, which was much easier to find a suitable solvent system for high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) separation. Six alkaloids were separated and purified simultaneously with n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (2:5:2:5) on HSCCC in one step. As a result, 4.7 mg palmatine, 7.1 mg berberine, 0.8 mg worenine, 1.5 mg epiberberine, 1.9 mg coptisine and 0.6 mg jatrorrhizine from 20 mg Rhizoma coptidis extract were obtained with the purities of 98.5%, 94.1%, 90.4%, 95.5%, 88.4% and 91.1% respectively as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and they were characterized by MS and H-1 NMR. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.