Dear Reader,

The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program has released the initial three in a series of short reviews on adulteration; topics include bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus, Ericaceae) fruit extract, grape (Vitis vinifera, Vitaceae) seed extract, and skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora, Lamiaceae) herb adulteration. These Botanical Adulterants Bulletins (BABs) aim to provide information about adulteration of plant materials that have not been covered by the Program previously (grape seed extract), or complement the previously published reviews (bilberry extract and skullcap) or the monographs of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (bilberry and skullcap). Some of the BABs have been over a year in the making, and we are pleased that these documents are finally available to various stakeholders in the international herb industry and extended community.

The Botanical Adulterants Program has received two major endorsements in the course of the last three months. The endorsements came from prominent academic organizations, the Center for Natural Products Technologies (CENAPT) at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), and the Biodiversity and Medicines Cluster at University College London’s (UCL) School of Pharmacy in the United Kingdom. Letters in support of the Program were signed by Prof. Guido Pauli, PhD, and Prof. Chun-Tao Che, PhD, and Prof. Michael Heinrich, PhD, respectively.

A number of peer-reviewed papers detailing adulteration in commercial products, or describing new analytical approaches to authenticate botanical materials, have been released in the first two months of 2016. Two publications take a closer look at commercial materials sold in markets in China using genetic methods: one paper presents results of the analysis of 1436 crude herbal raw materials, representing 295 plant species, while the other evaluates the authenticity of commercial maca (Lepidium meyenii, Brassicaceae) raw materials and finished products.Also included in this edition of the “Botanical Adulterants Monitor” are reviews on publications describing an HPLC-UV fingerprint method for the detection of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae) adulteration; a comparison among proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), flow injection mass spectrometry (FIMS), and DNA barcoding for the identification of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Ranunculaceae); and the results of an investigation into the authenticity of products labeled to contain extracts from fruits of plant species in the family Ericaceae.

The “Regulatory Alerts” section looks back at the charges filed against USPlabs by the US Department of Justice, and discusses the recall of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum, Hypericaceae) in the United Kingdom due to the presence of a pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) at levels above the limits recommended by the European Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). While the latter is most likely due to accidental contamination of St. John’s wort with a PA-containing weed during harvest, the recall has potentially far-reaching consequences for the dietary supplements industry.

Stefan Gafner, PhD

Chief Science Officer

American Botanical Council

Technical Director, ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program