Dear Reader

It is my pleasure to introduce to you the first edition of the “Botanical Adulterants Monitor.” Adulteration of botanical materials has been a topic of continued media attention and sensational press coverage of research publications. For example, there is the highly flawed DNA barcoding study by Newmaster et al. published in BMC Medicine last October. The authors of the paper curiously concluded that close to 60% of the 44 tested North American herbal products contained materials from undeclared botanical sources. This study led to increased confusion by consumers and producers of herbal products, and to attacks in the mainstream media on the dietary supplement industry with calls for more stringent regulations. (See the ABC critique, here.)

Our goal for this newsletter is to provide newly available information on issues surrounding accidental and intentional adulteration — and, to a lesser extent, the equally important problems of contamination — as reported by regulatory agencies or in published studies. In general, the content of the “Botanical Adulterants Monitor” will focus on providing solutions to current problems related to adulteration and botanical ingredient authenticity ... MORE

Stefan Gafner, PhD Chief Science Officer, ABC Technical Director, ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program

USFDA Alerts

The FDA issued nine warning letters between October and December 2013 regarding dietary supplements. In seven cases, the FDA alleged the products were adulterated within the meaning of section 402(g)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FFDCA) [21 U.S.C. § 342(g)(1)] in that the dietary supplements were prepared, packed, or held under conditions that did not meet current good manufacturing practice ... MORE

Science Update

An Overview on Adulteration and Contamination

Reference: Posadzki P, Watson L, Ernst E. Contamination and adulteration of herbal medicinal products (HMPs): an overview of systematic reviews. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2013;69(3):295-307. Abstract available here.

Researchers from the University of Exeter, UK, performed an extensive literature search on contamination and adulteration of herbal medicinal products (HMPs). MORE

Ginseng in the Spotlight

Three notable studies on different analytical approaches were published in 2013 on the subject of ginseng authentication. MORE

Adulterated Herbal Supplement Shows Unexpected Efficacy

Reviewed: Karioti A, Giocaliere E, Guccione C, et al. Combined HPLC-DAD-MS, HPLC-MSn and NMR spectroscopy for quality control of plant extracts: The case of a commercial blend sold as dietary supplement. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2014;88:7-15. Abstract available here. During the last four years, the pharmacovigilance system at Florence University in Italy received several reports from patients referring to the unexpected ... MORE

Australian Researchers Publish Simple Method to Detect the Adulteration of Ginkgo Extracts

Reviewed: Wohlmuth H, Savage K, Dowell A, Mouatt P. Adulteration of Ginkgo biloba products and a simple method to improve its detection. Phytomedicine. 2014;21(6):912-918. Abstract available here. There is growing concern in the global botanical industry regarding the adulteration of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae) leaf concentrated extracts ... MORE

Upcoming Events

Below are descriptions and links to some of the upcoming conferences, seminars, and workshops that may be of interest to learn more on adulteration.

Botany 2014 - July 26-30, 2014. Boise, Idaho.
55th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) - August 2-6, 2014. Oxford, Mississippi.

About the

The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program is a consortium of independent nonprofit organizations whose mission relates to education, scientific research, and quality of botanical dietary ingredients and related plant-derived materials. The consortium is underwritten or endorsed by more than 100 natural product industry companies, independent analytical laboratories, contract research organizations, nonprofit and professional organizations, trade associations, accredited institutions of education in natural medicine, law firms, and media companies — which are involved in the production, supply, manufacture, distribution, marketing, analysis, research, and/or education of herbal dietary ingredients and supplements, in the United States and internationally. Companies, organizations, foundations, and/or individuals interested in supporting this program are invited to contact Ms. Denise Meikel, ABC Development Director, at (512) 926-4900, ext. 120, or by email.

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