Commercial Herbal Products Research Articles

Chemical Profiling, Enzyme Inhibitory Activity and Antioxidant Capacity of South African Herbal Teas: Buddleja saligna, Lippia javanica, L. scaberrima and Phyla dulcis.

Herbal teas are used in South Africa as digestives to lower glycaemia and for other indications. However, the chemical composition of the infusions and their effect on enzymes related to metabolic syndrome is poorly known. The composition of infusions and methanol extracts of B. saligna (Scrophulariaceae), Lippia javanica, L. scaberrima, and Phyla dulcis (Verbenaceae) was assessed and the effect of the infusions and extract was determined towards α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase. The commercial herbal products were extracted separately with MeOH or hot water to obtain the extract/infusion for comparative studies. Total phenolic, total flavonoid and antioxidant capacity were assessed. The fingerprints of the MeOH extracts and infusions were compared by HPLD-DAD. The extract constituents were tentatively identified by HPLC-MS/MS and NMR analyses. From the extracts/infusions, 57 compounds were identified, including iridoids, phenylpropanoid glycosides, flavonoids, and caffeic acid derivatives, among others. The MeOH extracts and infusions showed strong inhibition towards α-glucosidase with IC50 in the range of 0.13-0.84 µg/mL for the phenolic-enriched infusion extract (PEI) and 0.47-0.50 µg/mL for the MeOH extracts, respectively. The P. dulcis PEI showed higher inhibition towards α-glucosidase, and the MeOH extract of L. scaberrima was better than the PEI. At 100 µg/mL, the PEI from the four herbal teas reduces the activity of α-amylase by 23.03-28.61%, with L. javanica as the most active tea. Three of the species are high in phenylpropanoid glycosides, while P. dulcis contains rosmarinic acid. Some 26 compounds were identified in the infusion from B. saligna, 28 from L. scaberrima, and 21 from P. dulcis. Four of them are common in all the teas, namely decaffeoylverbascoside, verbascoside, isoverbascoside, and tuberonic acid hexoside. Ten compounds occur in two of the teas and seventeen, fifteen, and eleven compounds were detected only in B. saligna, L. scaberrima, and P. dulcis, respectively. Most of the compounds are reported for the first time from the crude drug infusions. The results give some support for the traditional use of herbal teas as digestives and/or indications for diabetes. The chemical fingerprints set the basis for quality control of the crude drugs, based on the main constituents and differential compounds occurring in the samples.

Chloroplast mini-barcodes combined with high resolution melting analysis to identify herbal medicine Difengpi (Illicium difengpi)

Difengpi, derived from the air-dried stem bark of Illicium difengpi and enlisted in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia for its therapeutic effect against common ailments, confronts challenges due to dwindling wild resources and intentional substitution with potentially harmful botanical relatives. The imperative need to authenticate this herbal remedy has led to the development of robust methods. Here, we integrated chloroplast mini-barcoding and high resolution melting (HRM) analysis to distinguish Difengpi from the reported adulterants. We assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of I. difengpi and substituted close relatives I. jiadifengpi and I. majus, and conducted an in-depth comparative analysis to screen divergent regions for exploiting as DNA mini-barcodes. Despite the conservativeness characterizing the whole cp genomes among these Illicium species, we identified some highly variable regions with promising potential as molecular markers for species identification. Subsequently, we designed DNA mini-barcodes and subjected them to HRM analysis to assess their efficacy in species discrimination. Melting profiles unveiled that mini-barcodes designed from four divergence regions trnL–trnF, trnF–ndhJ, ycf1–ndhF and rpl32–trnL exhibited substantial discriminatory power, distinctly differentiated I. difengpi from I. jiadifengpi, I. majus and I. verum. We tested ten commercially available Difengpi products from online stores and local traditional markets using these four mini-barcodes. All ten samples clustered closely with the reference I. difengpi with genotype confidence higher than 93 %, indicating the presence of the claimed species in these samples, sans any reported toxic adulterants. Consequently, we simulated Difengpi mimic samples utilizing I. jiadifengpi, I. majus and I. verum and subjected them to evaluate the practicability of these mini-barcodes. The outcomes confirmed the precision of the four mini-barcodes in accurately discerning the mimic samples. In conclusion, integrating taxon-specific DNA mini-barcodes with HRM analysis is an efficient strategy for the authentication of species identity within commercial herbal products.

Identification of a new species and three new records of Chaetomiaceae associated with commercial herbal teas in northern Thailand

This study aimed to identify fungi associated with commercial herbal teas from local markets in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, Thailand. A new species, Arcopilus albae was isolated from mulberry leaf tea and identified based on evidence from molecular phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of a combined ITS, LSU, TUB2, and RPB2 dataset indicated that the new species is a distinct taxon with high statistical support. Furthermore, two isolates of Canariomyces arenarium and three isolates of Chaetomium globosum are described as new host records from five different commercial herbal teas (black and red goji berries, chrysanthemum flower, mulberry leaf, and stevia leaf). One isolate of Ch. rectangulare is described as a new host record from black goji berry and a new geographical record from northern Thailand. This study provides additional collections of fungi associated with dried commercial herbal tea products from local markets in the North of Thailand.

Molecular approach for identification and validation of Eurycoma longifolia, Labisia pumila, and Orthosiphon stamineus in herbal products

BackgroundEurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia), Labisia pumila (L. pumila), and Orthosiphon stamineus (O. stamineus) are popular species known for their therapeutic properties. An increase in local demand for herbal products makes them susceptible to adulteration, which poses a risk to their safety and efficacy. Current identification methods, such as organoleptic, microscopic, and macroscopic analysis, need to be revised to identify plant species in highly processed herbal products due to their limited ability to detect morphological features and provide comprehensive plant taxonomy information.MethodsThis research objective was to develop a simple, reliable, and accurate DNA molecular identification method based on polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) for E. longifolia, L. pumila, and O. stamineus, used to validate the species identification for herbal products. PCR–RFLP was developed for rapid identification using restriction enzymes TaqI, BamH I, HinfI, EcoRI, EcoRV, Mbol, and Mspl.ResultsThe nuclear DNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences were identified and compared between plant specimens of E. longifolia, L. pumila, and O. stamineus and 101 samples of commercial herbal products. Plant specimens of E. longifolia, L. pumila, and O. stamineus were successfully identified with high similarity of 100%, 100%, and 99.33%, respectively, based on National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank. The recovery of DNA sequences from the herbal products was 60.4%, of which 81.97% were identified, and 18.03% showed no sequence through Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) identification.ConclusionA reliable approach for identifying and validating plant species in herbal products has been created using restriction enzymes. This simple and accurate PCR–RFLP approach efficiently identifies E. longifolia, L. pumila, and O. stamineus by analysing ITS2 sequences, assuring consumer health and safety.

Complementary authentication of Chinese herbal products to treat endometriosis using DNA metabarcoding and HPTLC shows a high level of variability.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is popular for the treatment of endometriosis, a complex gynecological disease that affects 10% of women globally. The growing market for TCMs has yielded a significant incentive for product adulteration, and although emerging technologies show promise to improve their quality control, many challenges remain. We tested the authenticity of two traditional Chinese herbal formulae used in women's healthcare for the treatment of endometriosis, known as Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan (FL) and Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang (GX). Dual-locus DNA metabarcoding analysis coupled with high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) were used to authenticate 19 FL and six GX commercial herbal products, as well as three ad hoc prepared artificial mixtures. HPTLC was able to detect most of the expected ingredients via comparative component analysis. DNA metabarcoding was able to detect an unexpected species diversity in the products, including 38 unexpected taxa. Chromatography has a resolution for all species indirectly through the identification of marker compounds for the different species ingredients. Metabarcoding on the other hand yields an overview of species diversity in each sample, but interpretation of the results can be challenging. Detected species might not be present in quantities that matter, and without validated quantification, some detected species can be hard to interpret. Comparative analysis of the two analytical approaches also reveals that DNA for species might be absent or too fragmented to amplify as the relevant chemical marker compounds can be detected but no amplicons are assigned to the same species. Our study emphasizes that integrating DNA metabarcoding with phytochemical analysis brings valuable data for the comprehensive authentication of Traditional Chinese Medicines ensuring their quality and safe use.

Multiplex Bar-HRM for differentiating Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. from possible substituent species

Global market demand for plant-derived products has increased significantly due to their extensive use in the treatment and prevention of various diseases. However, mislabeling of commercial herbal products poses a major safety concern and affects their efficacy. Differentiating species among Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., Hydrocotyle umbellata L., Bacopa monnieri L., and Bacopa caroliniana (Walter) B.L.Rob, which share morphological features and common local names is challenging. To address this issue, DNA barcoding coupled with high-resolution melting (Bar-HRM) analysis was performed using ITS, matK, and rbcL loci. Suitable primer sets were designed based on nucleotide diversity analysis from multiple alignments of each barcode. Our findings showed that multiplex Bar-HRM (mBar-HRM) using matK1 and rbcL1 successfully discriminated C. asiatica from the other species and enabled contamination detection of C. asiatica and species specificity of various medicinal plants. Analytical sensitivity determined the minimal DNA concentration to generate melting patterns at 0.01 ng per reaction. mBar-HRM was also tested for adulteration detection by mixing DNA from C. asiatica with H. umbellata or B. monnieri at more than 75%. Results demonstrated the potential of mBar-HRM as a reliable method for species authentication in C. asiatica-derived commercial products.

Bigel formulations of St. John’s wort extract in wound healing: toxicological aspects

This study aimed to investigate the toxicological profile of hyperforin (HP) in silico and to assess it in vivo after topical application of an HP-rich St. John’s wort (SJW) extract. The former analysis predicted low toxicity because of HP’s inability to bind DNA or proteins, but structural alerts for skin irritation/corrosion, carcinogenicity, and mutagenicity were found. Animal studies involved the treatment of excision wounds in Wistar rats with poloxamer 407/borage oil formulations (bigels; Bs) containing HP-rich SJW extract previously developed by us. The effects of semisolids comprising ‘free’ extract (B/SJW) or extract loaded in nanostructured lipid carriers (B/NLC-SJW) were compared to positive (commercial herbal product) and negative (untreated) controls after 2-, 7-, 14-, and 21-day applications. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and ABTS assays evaluated the degree of oxidative stress—treatment with bigels did not affect MDA favorably but led to an increased radical-cation scavenging capacity (compared to controls). Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme levels were measured as indicators for liver/tissue damage. Treatment with both B/SJW and B/NLC-SJW for 21 days resulted in lower GGT and ASAT levels than those in controls. Two-day application of the biphasic semisolids contributed to normalized ALAT levels (lower than in both negative and positive controls), and the same trends were observed in LDH levels after a 7-day treatment. The promising results obtained after the B/NLC-SJW application suggest that this drug delivery system may not only preserve HP in SJW extract effectively but also ‘expose’ its cyto-/hepatoprotective potential.

Chemical characterization and quantitative determination of flavonoids and phenolic acids in yerba santa (Eriodictyon spp.) using UHPLC/DAD/Q-ToF

Eriodictyon species, commonly known as yerba santa, are plants native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The plants are known for their medicinal properties and have been used by indigenous people for centuries to treat various ailments, in particular, respiratory conditions. Despite a long history of traditional use, many of the species have never been fully chemically characterized, and the constituent range of the species has not been comprehensively reported. In an effort to establish a quality control and chemical characterization method, an extensive set of Eriodictyon species samples including E. californicum (n = 85), E. angustifolium (n = 8), E. trichocalyx (n = 5), E. crassifolium (n = 9), E. tomentosum (n = 2), E. traskiae (n = 1), and E. capitatum (n = 1) were investigated. Fourteen compounds comprised of flavonoids and phenolic acids were quantified utilizing an UHPLC/DAD method. The results from the method validation demonstrated excellent linearity (R2 > 0.99) and sensitivity as evidenced by LOD (0.01–0.1 µg/mL) and LOQ (0.05–0.2 µg/mL). Likewise, the method was found to be precise (RSD < 2.78%) with recoveries between 88.9% and 103.2%. Furthermore, by using UHPLC/ESI/Q-ToF data and protonated, deprotonated, and adduct and fragment ions in positive and negative ion modes, we were able to identify 53 compounds in yerba santa plant samples. To the best of our knowledge, this work encapsulates the most comprehensive data set currently available for the chemical characterization and quantification of the primary constituents in Eriodictyon species. Additionally, results of this study also demonstrated the applicability of the developed method for quality assessment of raw material and commercial herbal products containing different Eriodictyon species.

Simultaneous analysis of 4 specific antihypertensive adulterants in herbal products using LC-MS/MS

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 4 compounds used for treating hypertension as adulterants in herbal products. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), and precision in accordance with AOAC and ICH guidelines. The LOD and LOQ of all compounds were about 0.3 ng/mL and 1 ng/mL, respectively. The linearity was good (R2 &amp;gt; 0.999), with intra-day and inter-day precision levels not more than 9.85% and 8.51%, respectively, and 81.9 &amp;ndash; 109.8% accuracies. Thirty commercial herbal products consisting of traditional medicines and dietary supplements available in Vietnamese markets were tested. While none contained detectable amounts of the 4 antihypertensive compounds, the developed LC-MS/MS procedure can be used for routine analysis to monitor illegal adulteration in various forms of herbal products.

Herbal species authentication by melting fingerprint coupled with high resolution melting analysis (MF-HRM).

Herbal medicines have recently attracted increasing attention for use as food supplements with health benefits; however, species authentication can be difficult due to incomplete morphological characters. Here, a molecular tool was developed for the identification of species in the National List of Essential Medicinal Plants in Thailand. The identification process used DNA fingerprints including start codon targeted (SCoT) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) polymorphisms, coupled with high resolution melting (HRM), to produce melting fingerprint (MF)-HRM. Results indicated that MF-HRM, SCoT-HRM and ISSR-HRM could be used for DNA fingerprints as S34, S36, S9 and S8 of SCoT and UBC873, S25 and UBC841 of ISSR. The melting fingerprints obtained from S34 of SCoT exhibited the best primers for identification of herbal species with 87.5% accuracy and relatively high repeatability. The presence of intraspecific variation in a few species affected the shift of melting fingerprints within species. MF-HRM using S34 showed improved species prediction compared to DNA fingerprints. The concentration of DNA with 10ng/µl was recommended to perform MF-HRM. MF-HRM enabled species authentication of herbal commercialized products at only 20% resulting from the low quality of DNA isolated, while admixture of multiple product species interfered with the MF process. Findings suggested that MF-HRM showed promise as a molecular tool for the authentication of species in commercial herbal products with high specificity, moderate repeatability and rapidity without prior sequence information. This information will greatly improve quality control and traceability during the manufacturing process.

In vitro Assessment of the Antimicrobial Potential of Some Commercial Herbal Products

Natural plant products have been widely used as an alternative approach to treat microbial infections to overcome issues of antibiotics-associated side effects and the emergence of resistant pathogens. One of the most popular infections causing significant morbidity and death toll is urinary tract infection. This study is designed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm potential of four commercial herbal products against five uropathogenic clinical isolates. In vitro, well diffusion assay and crystal violet staining techniques were used to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects respectively. Antimicrobial effect was reported for Renalka™ against Enterococcus faecium, ROWAtinex® against Staphylococcus aureus and E. faecium and UROCLEAR against Candida albicans. A significant antibiofilm effect, semi-quantified by stained biomass, was reported for all of the products included in the study against the tested pathogens but to a varying degree. Medicinal herbal products can exert a substantial prophylactic antibiofilm effect in addition to their beneficial health effects in treating urological pathologies.

Trace Elements in Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used in the Treatment of Diabetes-Do They Have a Role in the Claimed Therapeutic Effect?

Background: Medicinal plants are often used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, although knowledge about their mode of action and the substances responsible for their antidiabetic potential is limited. It is well known that some trace elements play a role in glucose metabolism and insulin action. Thus, a particular trace elements profile could be associated with the antidiabetic properties observed for some medicinal plants. Methods: Infusions (n = 102) prepared from commercial herbal products (n = 34) containing medicinal plants indicated for the treatment of diabetes (n = 16 different plant species) and infusions (n = 60) prepared from commercial herbal products (n = 20) containing medicinal plants without such an indication (n = 7 different plant species) were analyzed by ICP-MS for their trace elements content. Results: In both groups, results varied significantly between different medicinal plants and also between different origins (brands) of the same medicinal plant. Significant differences (p < 0.05) between the two groups were found for nine elements, including four trace elements related to glucose metabolism (Mn, B, V, and Se), but with lower median contents in the group of medicinal plants for diabetes. Conclusions: Except for some particular species (e.g., Myrtilli folium) in which the trace element Mn may play a role in its antidiabetic effect, globally, a direct association between the claimed antidiabetic properties and a specific trace element profile of the studied medicinal plants was not evident.

ATR-FTIR Method for Detection of Cassava Impurities in Indonesian Commercial White Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Based on Principal Component Analysis

White pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the most popular flavourings targeted for adulteration, i.e., cassava, resulting in quality loss and infringement on consumer rights and interests. Because it is easy and quick cleanup, minimal sample preparation, and excellent performance with strongly or thickly absorbed samples, the Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectrum signal is widely used to measure commercial herbal products. Manipulation of the spectrum signal can be used to quantify a sample as well as reduce its dimensionality. As a result, there is a lot of interest in developing methods for detecting cassava in commercial white pepper (Piper nigrum L.). The aim of the research was to get an ATR-FTIR spectroscopic technique combined with chemometrics to detect cassava as an adulterant in commercial white pepper (Piper nigrum L.). The chemical profiles of white pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and cassava were compared using principal component analysis (PCA). Bangka, Sudu, and Pontianak were used to collect white pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and cassava. White pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and cassava were macerated in 96 percent ethanol for 3×24 hours before being concentrated with a rotary evaporator until thick. Each extract's IR spectral was measured using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in the 4000-650 cm-1range. In addition, the IR spectral was clustered using PCA in the R program. To obtain the appropriate PCA model, we applied two IR spectral manipulation procedures (normal and derivative IR spectra) of the pure material. The PCA chosen was of the normal IR spectral type, with PC1 and PC2 values of 82.3 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively.. The projection of three commercial samples from the markets revealed that samples A and B were negative for cassava adulterant, while Sample C was suspected to be positive. Finally, the ATR-FTIR spectroscopic method tandem PCA was successful in clustering the presence or absence of cassava content in the commercial of Indonesian White Pepper

Stability of Rosmarinic Acid and Flavonoid Glycosides in Liquid Forms of Herbal Medicinal Products-A Preliminary Study.

Peppermint leaf, sage leaf, thyme herb, and their preparations are common components of herbal medicinal products (HMPs). According to the European Pharmacopoeia guidelines, the above-mentioned plant substances are standardized for the content of essential oils, omitting polyphenols, which also have a significant impact on their activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of the predominant polyphenols—rosmarinic acid, luteolin-7-O-β-glucuronide, and eriocitrin—in selected commercial liquid HMPs containing thyme, sage, and peppermint under long-term, intermediate, and accelerated testing conditions. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of these polyphenols were performed by the previously optimized and validated HPLC-DAD method. Rosmarinic acid stability was better in hydroethanolic than in an aqueous solution. The effect of the solvent on the stability of luteolin-7-O-β-glucuronide and eriocitrin could not be determined and requires further investigation. The present study is the first to analyze the stability of these compounds in commercial herbal medicinal products. The expiration dates proposed by the manufacturers of the tested HMPs did not guarantee stable levels of all analyzed polyphenols throughout the stated period. However, this study is preliminary and requires continuation on a larger number of medicinal products.

Chemical Authentication of Botanical Ingredients: A Review of Commercial Herbal Products.

Chemical methods are the most important and widely used traditional plant identification techniques recommended by national and international pharmacopoeias. We have reviewed the successful use of different chemical methods for the botanical authentication of 2,386 commercial herbal products, sold in 37 countries spread over six continents. The majority of the analyzed products were reported to be authentic (73%) but more than a quarter proved to be adulterated (27%). At a national level, the number of products and the adulteration proportions varied very widely. Yet, the adulteration reported for the four countries, from which more than 100 commercial products were purchased and their botanical ingredients chemically authenticated, was 37% (United Kingdom), 31% (Italy), 27% (United States), and 21% (China). Simple or hyphenated chemical analytical techniques have identified the total absence of labeled botanical ingredients, substitution with closely related or unrelated species, the use of biological filler material, and the hidden presence of regulated, forbidden or allergenic species. Additionally, affecting the safety and efficacy of the commercial herbal products, other low quality aspects were reported: considerable variability of the labeled metabolic profile and/or phytochemical content, significant product-to-product variation of botanical ingredients or even between batches by the same manufacturer, and misleading quality and quantity label claims. Choosing an appropriate chemical technique can be the only possibility for assessing the botanical authenticity of samples which have lost their diagnostic microscopic characteristics or were processed so that DNA cannot be adequately recovered.

A Review of Authenticity and Authentication of Commercial Ginseng Herbal Medicines and Food Supplements.

Ginseng traditional medicines and food supplements are the globally top selling herbal products. Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolius and Panax notoginseng are the main commercial ginseng species in herbal medicine. Prices of ginseng products vary widely based on the species, quality, and purity of the used ginseng, and this provides a strong driver for intentional adulteration. Our systematic literature search has reviewed the authenticity results of 507 ginseng-containing commercial herbal products sold in 12 countries scattered across six continents. The analysis of the botanical and chemical identity of all these products shows that 76% are authentic while 24% were reported as adulterated. The number of commercial products as well as the percentage of adulteration varies significantly between continents, being highest in South America (100%) and Australia (75%), and lower in Europe (35%), North America (23%), Asia (21%) and Africa (0%). At a national level, from the five countries for which more than 10 products have been successfully authenticated, the highest percentage of adulterated ginseng products were purchased from Taiwan (49%), followed by Italy (37%), China (21%), and USA (12%), while all products bought in South Korea were reported to be authentic. In most cases, labeled Panax species were substituted with other Panax species, but substitution of ginseng root, the medicinally recommended plant part, with leaves, stems or flowers was also reported. Efficient and practical authentication using biomarkers to distinguish the main ginseng varieties and secondary metabolite spectra for age determination are essential to combat adulteration in the global marketplace.

A HPTLC Method for Determination of Anethole in Essential Oil, Methanolic Extract of Foeniculum vulgare and Commercial Herbal Products

A rapid and feasible method of HPTLC is standardized for quantification of anethole in essential oil’s extract and from herbal formulations of fennel seed. The developed densitometric HPTLC method was performed to estimate the existence of anethole in the essential oil, extract and herbal formulations of fennel with the optimized concentration of hexane: Ethyl acetate (8:2%, v/v, mobile phase) on glass coated silica gel 60 F254 plates (20 × 10 cm) scanned with the absorbance of λ260 nm under densitometric condition. The Linearity of regressions revealed a satisfactory relationship between peak area and concentration of anethole in between the range of 100-600 ng/spot. This reliable method was validated as per the ICH guidelines to fulfill the necessary parameters such as accuracy and robustness. The amount of anethole in essential oil (0.098 ± 0.002%), extract (0.101 ± 0.004%) and three herbal formulations A (0.024 ± 0.004%), C (0.019 ± 0.002%) while anethole is not detected in B formulations from fennel seed was completely estimated by the developed method. The standardized methods and its validation gave new insights of HPTLC based detection and quantification of anethole in other aromatic plants as well as in other pharmacological formulations.

Quantitative Analysis of Cardamon and Fennel Combination

A Cardanon and Fennel combination is a traditional Chinese herbal formula for treating chi and blood - associated pricking pain. The formula is composed of Cinnamomi Ramus, Amomi Semen, Corydalis Tuber, Alpiniae Officinari Rhizoma, Ostreae Testa, Glycyrrhizae Radix, and Foeniculi Fructus. With the aid of high - performance liquid chromatography, we used cinnamaldehyde, coumarin, cinnamic acid (from the imperial component herb Cinnamomi Ramus), and glycyrrhizin (form the servant component herb Glycyrrhizae Radix) as the indicative constituents for the assessment of the quality of Chinese herb preparations and also for investigating the influences of different herb combinations, different doses, and different processed samples to the whole formula. Experimental data showed that when boiled in water, the formula yielded very little essential oil extract which, after concentration, this resulted in loss of more oil. Extractives of coumarin and cinnamaldehyde from Cardamon and Fennel combination which contains Cinnamomi Ramus were higher than from Cinnamomi Ramus decocted alone. The addition of Cinnamomi Cortex produced a contrary effect. Both preparations gave rise to greatly different results. The addition of Ostreae Testa changed the solution's pH value and promoted the extraction yields of cinnamic acid and glycyrrhizin. Absence of Gly cyrrhizae Radix or Cinnamomi Ramus caused reduction in the individual indicative constituents. Whereas, subtracting Foeniculi Fructus from the formula resulted in a marked increase in the extractives of the various constituents, and the addition of processed Cinnamomi Ramus produced a comprehensive influence of the chemical constituents. Differences in the drug materials selected, component combinations, and manufacturing processes produced marked differences in the constituent yields. Hence, there is a great difference found between commercial herbal products and laboratory-made counterparts.

Microscopic Authentication of Commercial Herbal Products in the Globalized Market: Potential and Limitations.

Herbal products are marketed and used around the globe for their claimed or expected health benefits, but their increasing demand has resulted in a proportionally increase of their accidental contamination or intentional adulteration, as already confirmed with DNA-based methods. Microscopy is a traditional pharmacopoeial method used for plant identification and we systematically searched for peer-reviewed publications to document its potential and limitations to authenticate herbal medicines and food supplements commercially available on the global market. The overall authenticity of 508 microscopically authenticated herbal products, sold in 13 countries, was 59%, while the rest of 41% were found to be adulterated. This problem was extending over all continents. At the national level, there were conspicuous differences, even between neighboring countries. These microscopically authenticated commercial herbal products confirm that different magnifying instruments can be used to authenticate crude or processed herbal products traded in the global marketplace. The reviewed publications report the successful use of different magnifying instruments, single or in combinations with a second one, with or without a chemical or DNA-based technique. Microscopy is therefore a rapid and cost-efficient method, and can cope with mixtures and impurities. However, it has limited applicability for highly processed samples. Microscopic authentication of commercial herbal products will therefore contribute to raise public awareness for the extent of adulteration and the need to safeguard consumer safety against the challenges of globalization.

Perspective of Plant Medicine in Therapy of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic, inflammatory condition. The adverse effects of long-term use of presently available anti-arthritic or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiovascular complications, renal impairment, myelosuppression etc. and this requires continuous monitoring and eventually increasing the cost of treatment. Thus complementary and alternative medicines may fulfill the demand for patients suffering from this disease. Moreover, herbal therapy has been safe and effective enough to treat rheumatoid arthritis. With these backgrounds, the present review includes different 37 plants reported for anti-arthritic or anti-inflammatory effect. Also enlisted 37 bioactive principals reported for anti-arthritic effect with their source, mechanism of action and commercial herbal products available in the market for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The compiled information regarding plants and their role in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis will help to justify the use of plant-derived medicine in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis in future.