Contamination Of Herbal Products Research Articles

PhytoAuthent: Molecular authentication of complex herbal food supplements for safety and efficacy

The PhytoAuthent project was structured to gather, test, develop and apply, in real life case scenarios, molecular techniques, such as biochemical fingerprinting and DNA sequence-based methods, for plant identification of constituents in complex herbal products. The project had a strong focus on applied aspects like protecting consumers from health risks associated with product substitution and contamination of herbal products.

PhytoAuthent: Molecular authentication of complex herbal food supplements for safety and efficacy

The PhytoAuthent project was structured to gather, test, develop and apply, in real life case scenarios, molecular techniques, such as biochemical fingerprinting and DNA sequence-based methods, for plant identification of constituents in complex herbal products. The project had a strong focus on applied aspects like protecting consumers from health risks associated with product substitution and contamination of herbal products.

A cluster of lead poisoning among consumers of Ayurvedic medicine.

Use of alternative medications and herbal remedies is widespread in the United States and across the globe. These traditional medications can be contaminated with toxic metals. Despite several case reports of poisoning from such contamination, the epidemiological data are still limited. To report on a cluster of lead and mercury toxicity cases in 2011 among a community of adherents of traditional medical practice of Ayurveda. Adherents of Ayurveda were offered heavy metals screening following the identification of the index case. Forty-six of 115 participants (40%) had elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) of 10 μg/dl or above, with 9.6% of BLLs at or above 50 μg/dl. This is the largest cluster of lead and mercury toxicity following use of Ayurvedic supplements described in the literature in the US. Contamination of herbal products is a public health issue of global significance. There are few regulations addressing contamination of "natural" products or supplements.

Contaminations of herbal products determined by NMR fingerprint

The utilisation of NMR fingerprinting is proposed as a rapid, available and reliable method to determine the contamination of herbal products. The presence of nimesulide has been reported recently as the contaminant of P.C. 28 Plus, a product based on herbal drugs marketed by the Italian company Cosval. The presence of the substance, as well as its relevant concentration (5%), was first reported by HPLC/MS analysis by other authors. The use of an NMR fingerprint confirmed the previous contamination with nimesulide in P.C. 28 Plus. The same contaminant was also found in P.C. 28 Pink. Furthermore, an analysis of Alergix Plus, another product of the same factory, evidenced the presence of bromhexin.

Extraction Efficiencies of Heavy Metals in Hydroethanolic Solvent from Herbs of Commerce

Heavy metal contamination of herbal products is a major concern in the herbal and dietary supplement industry. Heavy metal exposure is well-documented to cause a variety of adverse human health effects and to negatively impact our environment. The Final Rule for Dietary Supplements for current good manufacturing practice regulation, 21 U.S. Food and Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations 111, requires dietary supplement manufacturers to establish herbal purity limits for heavy metal contaminants considered safe for human consumption. Heavy metals may enter into the herbal manufacturing process via bioaccumulation from the harvest site or during postharvest processing phases, such as drying and/or liquid extraction. Traditionally, herbalists have used hydroethanolic solvents to extract herbal biomasses in pure food-grade ethanol-water combinations with solvent polarities capable of removing a wide range of hydrophilic and lipophilic constituents. The presented data demonstrate that hydroethanolic solvents are not completely efficient in the extraction of heavy metal accumulations from plant matrixes; and can act as an effective decontamination step in herbal product processing.