Abstract
Amomi Fructus is widely used to treat digestive disorders, and Amomum villosum, A. villosum var. xanthioides, and A. longiligulare are permitted medicinally in national pharmacopeias. However, there are a variety of adulterants present in herbal markets owing to their morphological similarities to the genuine Amomum species. Forty-two Amomi Fructus samples from various origins were identified using internal transcribed spacer and chloroplast barcoding analyses, and then their chromatographic profiles were compared using chemometric analysis for chemotaxonomic monitoring. Among the Amomi Fructus samples, A. villosum, A. longiligulare, A. ghaticum, and A. microcarpum were confirmed as single Amomum species, whereas a mixture of either these Amomum species or with another Amomum species was observed in 15 samples. Chemotaxonomic monitoring results demonstrated that two medicinal Amomum samples, A. villosum and A. longiligulare, were not clearly distinguished from each other, but were apparently separated from other non-medicinal Amomum adulterants. A. ghaticum and A. microcarpum samples were also chemically different from other samples and formed their own species groups. Amomum species mixtures showed diverse variations of chemical correlations according to constituent Amomum species. Genetic authentication-based chemotaxonomic monitoring methods are helpful in classifying Amomi Fructus samples by their original species and to distinguish genuine Amomum species from the adulterants.
Highlights
Amomi Fructus (Sa-In) has been used to treat digestive disorders associated with excessive dampness and originates from the ripe fruits or seed clusters of Amomum villosum Lour. and A. villosum var. xanthioides (Wall. ex Baker) T.L
This time Amomi Fructus samples were collected from diverse countries where they were used for medical purposes and as food products
Various adulterants of Amomum species were identified and some of these were mixed with each other, and especially, the mixture of species was mostly shown in the samples from Southeast Asia (Table 2)
Summary
Amomi Fructus (Sa-In) has been used to treat digestive disorders associated with excessive dampness and originates from the ripe fruits or seed clusters of Amomum villosum Lour. and A. villosum var. xanthioides (Wall. ex Baker) T.L. The commercial status of Amomi Fructus in herbal markets does not correspond to official documents; that is, unofficial Amomum species or even Alpinia species are often sold and used as counterfeits or adulterants of Amomi Fructus [3,4]. This is because the fruits of A. villosum are recognized as being of high commercial grade among official Amomum species and are sold at a high price in herbal markets. The indistinguishable organoleptic properties among official Amomum species and the adulterants exacerbate the misuse of Amomi Fructus. More accurate and precise techniques using genetic information have been developed to identify Amomi Fructus from other counterfeits
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