Overview of Medicinal Plant Analysis at National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR)

The use of dietary supplements is rapidly growing in industrialized and developing countries. According to the Nutrition Business Journal the total estimated herb sales in the US market rose by 0.9% in 2008 ($ 4.8 billion) [1].

Dietary supplements should meet specifications for identity, strength and composition in order to prevent adulteration. Most contamination or adulteration is due to poor raw ingredients. Authentication of botanicals includes chemical analysis of markers or major compounds and chemical fingerprint analysis. One of the challenges for the analytical methods developed was to study the effects of batch-to-batch variations in the medicinal plants, stability, and identification of potential adulterants or chemical contaminants.

Objective of this overview involves a general outline of the medicinal plants studied at the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) including Nigella sativa Linn., Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne., Curcuma longa L., Zea mays L., Passiflora incarnata L., Ephedra sinica, Citrus aurantium L., Artemisia annua L., Sutherlandia frutescens (L.) R. BR., Panax Ginseng, Valeriana officinalis L. & Maillefer, Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench., Bacopa monnieri (L.), Ginkgo biloba L., Podophyllum peltatum L., Piper methysticum G. Forst., Rhodiola rosea L., Actaea racemosa Walter ex. Steud., Hypericum perforatum L., Momordica charantia L., Crataegus laevigata DC., Angelica gigas Nakai, Lepidium meyenii Walp., Tribulus terrestris Linn., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal., Magnolia grandiflora L., Garcinia mangostana L., Sida rhombifolia L., Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, Aloe vera, Boswellia Serrata, Astragalus spp, T. diffusa Willd., Polygonum multiflorum Thunb., Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schulz. Bip., Adhatoda vasica Nees., Caulophyllum thalictroides (L.) Michx., Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze. The overview will also include the scientific names of the plants [2], plant parts used, chemical constituents, medicinal use and analytical methods. Acknowledgements: This research is supported in part by „Science Based Authentication of Dietary Supplements“ and „Botanical Dietary Supplement Research“ funded by the Food and Drug Administration grant numbers 5U01FD002071–09 and 1U01FD003871–01, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Specific Cooperative Agreement No. 58–6408–2-0009. References: [1] Cavaliere C, et al. (2009) HerbalGram, 82: 58–61. [2] Khan IA, Abourashed EA (2009) Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 3rd Edition. Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication. USA.