Botanical Adulterants Monitor # 8/2016

Dear Reader,

The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program (BAP) has just published the first in a series of two extensive papers by Steven Foster on the adulteration of ginseng (Panax ginseng and P. quinquefolius, Araliaceae) as the cover story in HerbalGram 111. This first part explains the history of ginseng taxonomy, nomenclature, and trade as a basis for understanding adulteration. Issues with ginseng adulteration observed in the current marketplace will be discussed in the second paper.

The Program has also released three additional publications in the series of short reviews on adulteration: arnica (Arnica montana, Asteraceae) flower, black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Ranunculaceae) root and rhizome, and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis, Ranunculaceae) root. These Botanical Adulterants Bulletins (BABs) aim to complement the reviews previously published in HerbalGram (black cohosh) or the monographs of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (goldenseal and black cohosh), or to provide information about adulteration of plant materials that have not been covered previously by either ABC or AHP (e.g., arnica).

In other Program News, the BAP has been endorsed by the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), a trade association focusing on issues surrounding the supply of health supplements for companion animals. This is the first endorsement of the Program by an organization with supplements for animal health, a category which has seen significant growth over the past years, as its main interest.

The Program has recently received one industry alert on the adulteration of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, Arecaceae) berry extract. The appearance of extracts containing vegetable oils from sources other than saw palmetto may be due to consecutive years of poor harvests in Florida, the primary area where saw palmetto grows wild and is harvested commercially.

Six adulteration-related papers have been summarized for this eighth issue of the Botanical Adulterants Monitor. Besides two papers on ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae) adulteration, a particular focus is given to adulteration of tree resins, such as Indian frankincense (Boswellia serrata, Burseraceae) and guggul (Commiphora wightii, Burseraceae). Additional summaries detail the high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet spectroscopy (HPLC-UV) analysis of commercial berry extracts from the rose family (Rosaceae), and the results from the investigation into commercial spice products labeled to contain oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum, or O. onites, Lamiaceae).

A review on presentations from the 2016 Joint Natural Products Conference (JNPC) in Copenhagen, Denmark, rounds out this issue of the Botanical Adulterants Monitor. The conference, a prime opportunity to interact with natural products researchers from around the globe, had a number of oral and poster presentations regarding quality control and authentication of botanical ingredients. Of particular interest were a number of posters, with topics including seasonal variations in the occurrence of genistein in ginkgo leaves, the high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis of commercial cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon, Ericaceae) products, the use of high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) to authenticate black cohosh, the adulteration of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum, Hypericaceae) with food colorants, and the limitations in using DNA barcoding for plant identification in crude botanical plant materials, extracts, and finished products.

We hope you will find this issue of the Botanical Adulterants Monitor of value and that you will pass this on to your quality control and purchasing staff so they can take appropriate measures in ensuring adulterated ingredients do not find their way into your products.

Stefan Gafner, PhD

Chief Science Officer
American Botanical Council
Technical Director, ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program