Microbiological acceptance criteria, specifications of herbal drugs and herbal drug preparations in various pharmacopoeias: a global scenario

PURPOSE

A pharmacopoeia is a compendium of guidelines and criteria for drug quality. It was established by a national or regional entity and has legal significance. This applies to administration of drugs in a particular nation or region.

METHOD

In this study, the differences and similarities of microbiological acceptance criteria, specifications for microbial enumeration of herbal drugs and herbal drug preparations in 14 national and international pharmacopeias were investigated.

RESULTS

It was found that 12 pharmacopeias have given separate microbial limits for total aerobic microbial count (TAMC) and total yeast and mold count (TYMC), and a list of specified microorganisms for which acceptance criteria are defined. However, similarities were noticed in Ph.Eur, Ph. Helv and, BP. Salmonella, and Escherichia coli are the most common pathogens specified for herbal preparations in which boiling water is added prior to use and for internal use in all Pharmacopoeias because they serve as indicators of potential contamination.

CONCLUSION

From this study, it can be concluded that the differences in microbial limit tests and their acceptance criteria as specified in the various pharmacopoeias need to be harmonized. It will become a more convenient option for global drug manufacturers to import/export herbal drugs, and this would also eliminate the burden of performing various analytical methods and comply with different microbial acceptance criteria set by various pharmacopoeias. The comparative data obtained from this study will be used to develop strategies for revisions of pharmacopoeias in a harmonized manner with respect to microbiological acceptance criteria, specifications for microbial enumeration of herbal drugs and herbal drug preparations.

Quality evaluation of commercial herbal products using chemical methods

Herbal products comprise a wide spectrum of locally, nationally or internationally commercialized commodities. As these products have an increasingly important position in healthcare systems worldwide, a detailed product quality assessment is of crucial importance. For the quality evaluation of commercial herbal products, a wide range of methods were used, from simpler, quicker, and cost-effective HPTLC, to hyphenated methods with MS or NMR, where more precise quantification or specific structural information is required. Additionally, most of the methods have been coupled with chemometric tools, such as PCA, or PDA, for the multivariate analysis of the high amount of data generated by chromatograms, electropherograms or spectra. The chemical methods have revealed the widespread presence of low or variable quality herbal products in the marketplace. The majority of analytical investigations present major, qualitative and quantitative, inter-product variations of their chemical composition, ranging from missing ingredients, to strikingly and unnaturally high concentrations of some compounds. Moreover, the inter-batch quality variations were frequently reported, as well as the presence of some undesirable substances. The chemical analysis of herbal products is a vital component to raise the overall awareness of quality in the herbal market and generate a quality driven approach.

The Botanical Safety Consortium: A public-private partnership to enhance the botanical safety toolkit

Botanical dietary supplement use is widespread and growing, therefore, ensuring the safety of botanical products is a public health priority. This commentary describes the mission and objectives of the Botanical Safety Consortium (BSC) - a public-private partnership aimed at enhancing the toolkit for conducting the safety evaluation of botanicals. This partnership is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding between the US FDA, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute. The BSC serves as a global forum for scientists from government, academia, consumer health groups, industry, and non-profit organizations to work collaboratively on adapting and integrating new approach methodologies (NAMs) into routine botanical safety assessments. The objectives of the BSC are to: 1) engage with a group of global stakeholders to leverage scientific safety approaches; 2) establish appropriate levels of chemical characterization for botanicals as complex mixtures; 3) identify pragmatic, fit-for-purpose NAMs to evaluate botanical safety; 4) evaluate the application of these tools via comparison to the currently available safety information on selected botanicals; 5) and integrate these tools into a framework that can facilitate the evaluation of botanicals. Initially, the BSC is focused on oral exposure from dietary supplements, but this scope could be expanded in future phases of work. This commentary provides an overview of the structure, goals, and strategies of this initiative and insights regarding our first objectives, namely the selection and prioritization of botanicals based on putative toxicological properties.

PCR-based rapid diagnostic tools for the authentication of medicinal mistletoe species

BACKGROUND

Taxilli Herba (TH) and Visci Herba (VH), defined as the leaves and branches of the mistletoe species Taxillus chinensis and Viscum coloratum, respectively, are popular herbal medicines in East Asia. However, commercial TH and VH products are frequently adulterated with related inauthentic mistletoe species, posing efficacy and safety concerns. Accurate species identification of herbal medicinal products is a prerequisite for quality control, but traditional morphological identification methods are hampered by difficulties in discriminating among closely related species and in identifying the source materials in processed products.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to develop sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers and a multiplex-SCAR assay for rapid and accurate identification of authentic TH and VH.

METHODS

The matK region was sequenced in a total of 20 samples from five mistletoe species, namely T. chinensis and V. coloratum, and three species often found in adulterated herbal medicines, T. sutchuenensis, V. articulatum, and Macrosolen tricolor. Species-specific nucleotide polymorphisms were identified and short regions (21-22 bp) containing at least two species-specific nucleotides close to the 3' end were incorporated into SCAR primers that produced uniquely sized PCR amplicons for each species. The five SCAR primer sets were also combined into a multiplex-SCAR assay.

RESULTS

The SCAR primers successfully generated amplicons of the expected size for each target species even with low-DNA templates or with templates containing DNA from multiple samples. No amplification was observed in non-target species. The SCAR markers and the multiplex-SCAR assay successfully identified commercial TH and VH products that were counterfeit or adulterated in both dried and processed products.

CONCLUSION

This is the first report to illustrate discrimination of genuine medicinal mistletoe species with DNA-based marker assays, enabling rapid and accurate species identification. The SCAR assays developed in this study will facilitate the standardization of commercial mistletoe products.

A Graded Approach for Evaluating Health Claims about Plant-Based Food Supplements: Application of a Case Study Methodology

The implementation of REGULATION (EC) No 1924/2006 has led to the formation of a list of health claims that can be used in food supplements (EU 432/2012). However, such supplements are often composed of plant preparations with claims omitted from this list. The peculiarity of plants is related to their long history of use, that could allow claims based on traditionally recognized health effects. In addition, the scientific literature has been enriched over the years through clinical studies that have assessed the bioavailability and efficacy of bioactive components, and investigated their mechanisms of action. Based on existing recognized models which aim to classify research according to the level of scientific evidence, Synadiet developed a three-grade model (A, B or C) for assessing plants health claims. In this paper, the applicability of the model is illustrated through an example for which a Grade B health claim attesting the possible contribution of red clover isoflavones to the improvement of blood lipid levels in postmenopausal women has been attributed. The model appears able to be easily extrapolated to claims pertaining to other plants. If adopted by consensus at European level, this model could initiate the implementation of a positive list of health claims on plant preparations.

Extracting and Analyzing Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Medicinal Plants: A Review

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are distributed in plant families of Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, and Fabaceae and serve in the chemical defense mechanism against herbivores. However, they became a matter of concern due to their toxicity associated with the high risk of intake within herbal preparations, e.g., phytopharmaceutical formulations, medicinal teas, or other plant-derived drug products. In 1992, the German Federal Ministry of Health established the first limits of PA content for fourteen medicinal plants. Because of the toxic effects of PAs, the Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR) established more stringent limits in 2011, whereby a daily intake <0.007 µg/kg body weight was recommended and valid until 2018. A threefold higher limit was then advised by BfR. To address consumer safety, there is the need for more efficient extraction procedures along with robust, selective, and sensitive analytical methods to address these concerns. With the increased prevalence of, e.g., phytopharmaceutical formulations, this timely review comprehensively focuses on the most relevant extraction and analysis strategies for each of those fourteen plant genera. While a variety of extraction procedures has been reported, differences in PA content of up to 1110 ppm (0.11% (w/w)) were obtained dependent on the nature of the solvent and the applied extraction technique. It is evident that the efficient extraction of PAs requires further improvements or at least standardization of the extraction conditions. Comparing the various analytical techniques applied regarding selectivity and sensitivity, LC-MS methods appear most suited. This review shows that both standardized extraction and sensitive determination of PAs is required for achieving appropriate safety levels concerning public health in future.

Mycotoxin Contamination Concerns of Herbs and Medicinal Plants

Plants and medicinal herbs that are available on the market do not always meet quality and safety standards. One particular concern is the risk of contamination with mycotoxins. Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A are the most frequently described mycotoxins in herbal products and have repeatedly been reported to occur at concentrations which exceed regulatory levels set by the European Union (EU). Possible solutions include enforcing existing limits, and for the new materials, establishing tighter limits and mandate the growth of medicinal plants in EU member countries under more strict conditions.

[Mandatory regulations and standards regarding cosmetic botanic ingredients in major countries and regions]

Cosmetics containing botanic ingredients have been used from thousands of years up to now in China. Because of the consumers&apos; demand for health and beauty,the number of products about &quot; botanic&quot; have been growing rapidly in the cosmetics market,which has played an important role in upgrading the industry and enhancing the international competitiveness nowadays. Therefore,to strengthen the management about used botanic raw materials in cosmetics products and revise the application regulation of new raw materials has become an important work to ensure product quality,promote the healthy and stable development of cosmetic business. The article summarizes the related mandatory regulations and standards about botanic ingredients which used as activity function in major cosmetic business countries or regions. Furthermore,the information of botanic ingredients commonly used in non-special cosmetics notification and special cosmetic registration system were described to expect the better application and development.

Quality Control of Modified Xiaoyao San Through the Determination of 22 Active Components by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A simple, sensitive, and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method has been developed for simultaneous determination of 22 major constituents in modified xiaoyao san (MXS), a multiherbal formula. The chromatographic separation was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (150 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm, particle size), with an aqueous 0.5% acetic acid and acetonitrile mobile phase gradient. The method was validated for linearity (r2 &gt;0.9937), intraday and interday precision (RSD &lt;8.51%), recovery (91.18–107.73%), LOD (0.02–4.17 ng/mL), and LOQ (0.05–12.50 ng/mL). The established method was successfully applied to quantify the 22 marker compounds in MXS, which provided a useful basis of overall evaluation of the quality of MXS.

Flash Vacuum-Expansion Process: Effect on the Sensory, Color and Texture Attributes of Avocado (Persea americana) Puree

The flash vacuum-expansion process (FVE) consists of two stages. In the first, the raw material is heated by a steam flow in a chamber at 101.325 kPa; in the second, the plant material passes into an expansion chamber (2 to 5 kPa), where the disintegration of the tissues occur. The puree obtained from the avocado pulp subjected to the first stage of the process was evaluated sensorial and instrumentally (T1), in the same way the puree obtained from fruits that were subjected to the whole process (T2) was evaluated, these were compared with avocado puree obtained by means of a food processor (control). The parameters shiny, avocado-like, luminosity, stretching and hue are more significant to describe the puree control, while boiled vegetable and homogeneity to describe T1; grainy texture, adhesiveness and fibrous are more significant to describe T2.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) as a Tool for Standardization of Complex Herbal Drugs

Background: Herbal formulations have reached tremendous acceptability as therapeutic agents for several diseases mainly due to the indiscriminate use of modern medicine such as antibiotics, steroids and other synthetic drugs. The increasing popularity in plant-based drugs is leading to a fast growing market for plant-based drugs pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, functional foods, and even cosmeceuticals. Objective: The development of authentic analytical methods for complex herbal drugs, especially poly herbal formulations which can reliably profile the phytochemical composition, including quantitative analyses of marker/bioactive compounds and other major constituents, is a major challenge to scientists. Standardization is an important step for the establishment of a consistent biological activity, a consistent chemical profile, or simply a quality assurance program for production and manufacturing of herbal drugs. Methods/Results: HPLC as a tool has been widely used in the standardization of complex herbal drugs because of its ability to estimate the presence of active (chemical or biological) markers both qualitatively and quantitatively. Conclusions: An overview of various HPLC techniques that can be used for standardization of herbal drugs has been presented.

Review: Quality of herbal medicinal products: State of the art of purity assessment

BACKGROUND

The European Pharmacopoeia as well as further legal provisions contain rules for the assessment of potential residues and contaminants in herbal substances and preparations used for the production of herbal medicinal products, e.g. for the assessment of pesticide residues, heavy metals and other elemental impurities, mycotoxins and microorganisms. As a potential contamination caused by weeds, the occurrence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is being discussed for several years which lead to measures of health authorities limiting the PA content in herbal medicinal products and to measures of industry consisting of reducing the probability of PA occurrence in medicinal plants and the respective products.

CONCLUSION

In this context and with regard to all kinds of potential residues or contaminants, collection and evaluation of data from daily analytical practice of manufacturers and suppliers is useful for the assessment of the situation and the definition of testing strategies.

[Discussion on evaluation mode of proficiency testing for heavy metal and harmful element detection in medicines]

This study aims to explore the evaluation model for the proficiency testing of heavy metal and harmful element residues in pharmaceuticals,and to provide reference for the proficiency testing program and proficiency testing result in the field of residue analysis. The proficiency test result of cadmium determination in honeysuckle as an example. The algorithm A,NIQR,and Horwitz function are used to calculate the assigned value and the standard deviation. Z was obtained at the same time. If | Z | ≤2,the result is satisfactory. If 2< | Z | <3,the result is questionable. If | Z | ≥3,the result is unsatisfactory. In addition,the median value is the assigned value,and deviation(D%) is used. If D% is not more than 16%,the result is satisfactory; if D% is more than 16%,the result is unsatisfactory. After analysis,in the results of questionable or dissatisfied laboratories calculated by algorithm A and NIQR,the deviation error of some data is within the scope of the standard. In the results of the satisfactory laboratory evaluated by the Horwitz function,some data deviation errors far exceed the standard range. The evaluation result of the D% meets the requirements. According to heavy metal and harmful element trace analysis methods,this study is the first to apply D% to the evaluation of the detection ability of heavy metals and harmful elements in pharmaceuticals. This method makes the evaluation result more reasonable,and has important reference significance for the evaluation of other proficiency test results.

A Tiered Approach for the Evaluation of the Safety of Botanicals Used as Dietary Supplements: An Industry Strategy

Exposure to botanicals in dietary supplements is increasing across many geographies; with increased expectations from consumers, regulators, and industry stewards centered on quality and safety of these products. We present a tiered approach to assess the safety of botanicals, and an in silico decision tree to address toxicity data gaps. Tier 1 describes a Threshold of Toxicologic Concern (TTC) approach that can be used to assess the safety of conceptual levels of botanicals. Tier 2 is an approach to document a history of safe human use for botanical exposures higher than the TTC. An assessment of botanical-drug interaction (BDI) may also be necessary at this stage. Tier 3 involves botanical chemical constituent identification and safety assessment and the in silico approach as needed. Our novel approaches to identify potential hazards and establish safe human use levels for botanicals is cost and time efficient and minimizes reliance on animal testing.

Getting to the Root of the Matter: Challenges and Recommendations for Assessing the Safety of Botanical Dietary Supplements

The National Toxicology Program's (NTP) mission is "to evaluate agents of public health concern, by developing and applying the tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology." Botanical dietary supplements (BDS) represent agents of public health concern due to widespread exposure to high doses, a lack of safety data for most products, variable quality, and reports of adverse events. This commentary will address lessons learned in NTP testing activities with BDS and recommendations for moving forward.

From Plant Compounds to Botanicals and Back: A Current Snapshot

This work aims at giving an updated picture of the strict interaction between main plant biologically active compounds and botanicals. The main features of the emerging class of dietary supplements, the botanicals, are highlighted. Focus is also on the definition of actual possibilities of study approach and research strategies. Examples of innovative directions are given: assessment of interaction of bioactive compounds, chemometrics and the new goal of biorefineries. Current models of existing databases, such as plant metabolic pathways, food composition, bioactive compounds, dietary supplements, and dietary markers, are described as usable tools for health research. The need for categorization of botanicals as well as for the implementation of specific and dedicated databases emerged, based on both analytical data and collected data taken from literature throughout a harmonized and standardized approach for the evaluation of an adequate dietary intake.

Quality specifications for articles of botanical origin from the United States Pharmacopeia

BACKGROUND

In order to define appropriate quality of botanical dietary supplements, botanical drugs, and herbal medicines, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and the Herbal Medicines Compendium (HMC) contain science-based quality standards that include multiple interrelated tests to provide a full quality characterization for each article in terms of its identity, purity, and content.

PURPOSE

To provide a comprehensive description of the pharmacopeial tests and requirements for articles of botanical origin in the aforementioned compendia. Selective chromatographic procedures, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), are used as Identification tests in pharmacopeial monographs to detect species substitution or other confounders. HPLC quantitative tests are typically used to determine the content of key constituents, i.e., the total or individual amount of plant secondary metabolites that are considered bioactive constituents or analytical marker compounds. Purity specifications are typically set to limit the content of contaminants such as toxic elements, pesticides, and fungal toxins. Additional requirements highlight the importance of naming, definition, use of reference materials, and packaging/storage conditions.

METHODS

Technical requirements for each section of the monographs were illustrated with specific examples. Tests were performed on authentic samples using pharmacopeial reference standards. The chromatographic analytical procedures were validated to provide characteristic profiles for the identity and/or accurate determination of the content of quality markers.

RESULTS

The multiple tests included in each monograph complement each other to provide an appropriate pharmacopeial quality characterization for the botanicals used as herbal medicines and dietary supplements. The monographs provide detailed specifications for identity, content of bioactive constituents or quality markers, and limits of contaminants, adulterants, and potentially toxic substances. Additional requirements such as labeling and packaging further contribute to preserve the quality of these products.

CONCLUSION

Compliance with pharmacopeial specifications should be required to ensure the reliability of botanical articles used for health care purposes.

What's in the box? Authentication of Echinacea herbal products using DNA metabarcoding and HPTLC

BACKGROUND

Differences in regulatory policies between countries as well as a lack of appropriate standardized methods for the authentication and quality control of herbal products directly impact their quality and safety. Echinacea products are among the top-selling herbal products in Europe and the United States with indications for a broad range of ailments. The increased use of Echinacea species has led to concerns about adulterated products resulting from challenges in morphology-based identification, due to overlapping morphological variation, frequent hybridization between species, and deliberate adulteration.

PURPOSE

This study addressed the need for a novel analytical strategy in the authentication of herbal products.

METHODS

A combination of high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and DNA metabarcoding was employed. Fifty-three Echinacea herbal products marketed across Europe were tested to evaluate the accuracy of these methods in plant identification and their potential for detecting substitutes, adulterants and other unreported plant constituents.

RESULTS

HPTLC provides high resolution in the detection of Echinacea phytochemical target compounds, but does not offer information on the other species within the product. Alternatively, we showed that the limitation of HPTLC in detecting non-targeted species can be overcome by the complementary use of DNA metabarcoding. Using DNA metabarcoding, Echinacea species were detected in 34 out of the 38 retained products (89%), but with a lack of discriminatory resolution at the species level due to the low level of molecular divergence within the Echinacea genus. All of the tested herbal products showed considerable discrepancies between ingredients listed on the label and the ones detected using DNA metabarcoding, registering an overall ingredient fidelity of only 43%.

CONCLUSION

The results confirm that DNA metabarcoding can be used to test for the presence of Echinacea species and simultaneously to detect other species present in even highly processed and multi-ingredient herbal products.

The potential of three different PCR-related approaches for the authentication of mixtures of herbal substances and finished herbal medicinal products

BACKGROUND

Herbal substances and preparations thereof play an important role in healthcare systems worldwide. Due to the variety of these products regarding origin, composition and processing procedures, appropriate methodologies for quality assessment need to be considered. A majority of herbal substances is administered as multicomponent mixtures, especially in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine and ayurvedic medicine, but also in finished medicinal products. Quality assessment of complex mixtures of herbal substances with conventional methods is challenging. Thus, emphasis of the present work was directed on the development of complementary methods to elucidate the composition of mixtures of herbal substances and finished herbal medicinal products.

HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE

An indispensable prerequisite for the safe and effective use of herbal medicines is the unequivocal authentication of the medicinal plants used therein. In this context, we investigated the potential of three different PCR-related methods in the characterization and authentication of herbal substances.

METHODS

A multiplex PCR assay and a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay were established to analyze defined mixtures of the herbal substances Quercus cortex, Juglandis folium, Aristolochiae herba, Matricariae flos and Salviae miltiorrhizae radix et rhizoma and a finished herbal medicinal product. Furthermore, a standard cloning approach using universal primers targeting the ITS region was established in order to allow the investigation of herbal mixtures with unknown content.

RESULTS

The cloning approach had some limitations regarding the detection/recovery of the components in defined mixtures of herbal substances, but the complementary use of two sets of universal primer pairs increased the detection of components out of the mixture. While the multiplex PCR did not retrace all components in the defined mixtures of herbal substances, the established qPCR resulted in simultaneous and specific detection of the five target sequences in all defined mixtures.

CONCLUSION

These data indicate that for authentication purposes, complementary PCR-related methods are highly recommendable for the analysis of herbal mixtures in parallel.

Quality Standards for Herbal Drugs and Herbal Drug Preparations - Appropriate or Improvements Necessary?

Standards for quality control as defined in the European Pharmacopoeia contribute significantly to a consistent and high quality of herbal drugs, herbal drug preparations, and herbal medicinal products. The minimum content of single plant constituents is considered of high relevance. Therefore, nearly all monographs on herbal drugs or herbal drug preparations contain an obligatory assay.However, a critical evaluation of the data published for such assayed constituents reveals that in most cases these constituents have to be considered as purely analytical markers without correlation to quality or efficacy. Examples where the assay does not meet its objective support the need to adapt current quality standards. Moreover, the trend to increase the content of certain constituents may lead to significant modifications to traditional manufacturing processes.In order to initiate a scientific discussion, the role of the assay in the context of quality requirements, quality documentation in the manufacturing process, safety, and efficacy is discussed and possible alternatives to the single marker assay are examined.

Validation of Chromatographic Methods of Analysis: Application for Drugs That Derived From Herbs

It is well known that the quality control (QC) of drugs derived from herbs (DDHs) has two main problems: first, DDHs are chemically complex mixtures, and second, the chemical contents of raw plant materials are affected by the site of cultivation, age of plants, methods of harvesting, and processing. QC is used by manufacturers to ensure the consistency, safety, and efficacy of the DDHs. QC of DDHs can be performed by two approaches, namely, marker-oriented and chemical pattern-oriented (metabolite profiling) using chromatographic methods. For having reliable results of any chemical analysis that will be performed in the QC laboratory, the method of analysis must be validated first before it can be routinely applied. Parameters of the validation method that should be evaluated for marker-oriented approach are stability, selectivity, linearity, trueness, precision, and robustness/ruggedness, while for metabolite profiling approach stability, intra- and interday precisions should be determined. Determination of instrumental and sample detection limit (DL), quantification limit (QL), and cutoff value is described in this review. Some relatively new validation methods that could correlate trueness and precision will be also discussed. The importance and application of metabolite profiling for a QC laboratory at pharmaceutical industry are discussed.

Findings on the heavy metal content in herbal drugs and essential oils - an update

In this contribution, data for 7 elemental impurities originating from quality control analysis of manufacturers of herbal products is evaluated in light of the current requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) and the European legislative framework. The data shows that the Ph. Eur. limits set for cadmium, lead and mercury in herbal drugs are in principle still appropriate. The probability of herbal drugs exceeding the limits for arsenic, cobalt, nickel and vanadium (based on the ICH Q3D guideline for elemental impurities) appears to be very low, and consequently, it is proposed that general limits for these elements in herbal drugs in the Ph. Eur. are not required. For essential oils, there does not appear to be a risk of heavy metal contamination and a general test on heavy metals is not considered necessary.

Heavy metals in contaminated environment: Destiny of secondary metabolite biosynthesis, oxidative status and phytoextraction in medicinal plants

Contamination of soils, water and air with toxic heavy metals by various human activities is a crucial environmental problem in both developing and developed countries. Heavy metals could be introduced into medicinal plant products through contaminated environment (soil, water and air resources) and/or poor production practices. Growing of medicinal plants in heavy metal polluted environments may eventually affect the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, causing significant changes in the quantity and quality of these compounds. Certain medicinal and aromatic plants can absorb and accumulate metal contaminants in the harvestable foliage and, therefore, considered to be a feasible alternative for remediation of polluted sites without any contamination of essential oils. Plants use different strategies and complex arrays of enzymatic and non-enzymatic anti-oxidative defense systems to cope with overproduction of ROS causes from the heavy metals entered their cells through foliar and/or root systems. This review summarizes the reports of recent investigations involving heavy metal accumulation by medicinal plants and its effects on elicitation of secondary metabolites, toxicity and detoxification pathways, international standards regarding in plants and plant-based products, and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in soil-medicinal plants systems.

Metabolic Profiling of Hoodia, Chamomile, Terminalia Species and Evaluation of Commercial Preparations Using Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QToF-MS) profiling was used for the identification of marker compounds and generation of metabolic patterns that could be interrogated using chemometric modeling software. UHPLC-QToF-MS was used to generate comprehensive fingerprints of three botanicals (Hoodia, Terminalia, and chamomile), each having different classes of compounds. Detection of a broad range of ions was carried out in full scan mode in both positive and negative modes over the range m/z 100-1700 using high-resolution mass spectrometry. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to extract relevant chemical information from the data to easily differentiate between Terminalia species, chamomile varieties, and quality control of Hoodia products. Using nontargeted analysis, identification of 37 compounds contributed to the differences between Terminalia species, 26 flavonoids were identified to show the differences between German and Roman chamomile, and 43 pregnane glycosides were identified from Hoodia gordonii samples. The UHPLC-QToF-MS-based chemical fingerprinting with principal component analysis was able to correctly distinguish botanicals and their commercial products. This work can be used as a basis to assure the quality of botanicals and commercial products.

[Status, problems and warranty strategy of quality uniformity for traditional Chinese medicine preparations]

The quality uniformity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation is the base for guaranteeing the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication. At present, the quality of TCM preparation is uneven. At present, the same TCM preparation in different manufacturers, TCM preparations in the same manufacturer, and even different batches of a same TCM preparation in the same manufacturer have great differences in quality, which can not reach stability and uniformity. This paper would discuss the possible factors that influence the uniformity of quality in the whole process of pharmacy by means of consulting relevant literature on quality control of Chinese herbal preparations and analyzing the present situation and problems of the quality of TCM preparation. In addition, some strategies such as standardization of cultivation of TCM, processing standardization, standardization of pharmaceutical equipment, mixed batch feeding, and Quality by Design would be also put forward to provide references for the quality uniformity of TCM preparation.

Application of near-infrared spectroscopy for the rapid quality assessment of Radix Paeoniae Rubra

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with multivariate analysis was used to quantify gallic acid, catechin, albiflorin, and paeoniflorin in Radix Paeoniae Rubra, and the feasibility to classify the samples originating from different areas was investigated. A new high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated to analyze gallic acid, catechin, albiflorin, and paeoniflorin in Radix Paeoniae Rubra as the reference. Partial least squares (PLS), principal component regression (PCR), and stepwise multivariate linear regression (SMLR) were performed to calibrate the regression model. Different data pretreatments such as derivatives (1st and 2nd), multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate, Savitzky-Golay filter, and Norris derivative filter were applied to remove the systematic errors. The performance of the model was evaluated according to the root mean square of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), and correlation coefficient (r). The results show that compared to PCR and SMLR, PLS had a lower RMSEC, RMSECV, and RMSEP and higher r for all the four analytes. PLS coupled with proper pretreatments showed good performance in both the fitting and predicting results. Furthermore, the original areas of Radix Paeoniae Rubra samples were partly distinguished by principal component analysis. This study shows that NIR with PLS is a reliable, inexpensive, and rapid tool for the quality assessment of Radix Paeoniae Rubra.

Combined Application of UHPLC-QTOF/MS, HPLC-ELSD and 1 H-NMR Spectroscopy for Quality Assessment of DA-9801, A Standardised Dioscorea Extract

INTRODUCTION

DA-9801, a standardised 50% aqueous ethanolic extract of a mixture of Dioscorea japonica and D. nipponica, is a botanical drug candidate for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, which finished its US phase II clinical trials recently. An advanced quality control method is needed for further development of DA-9801, considering its high contents of both primary and secondary metabolites.

OBJECTIVE

Development of a quality assessment strategy for DA-9801, based on the combination of UHPLC-QTOF/MS, HPLC-ELSD, and ¹ H-NMR spectroscopy.

METHODS

The method was developed and tested with 15 batch products of DA-9801. The steroidal saponins of DA-9801 were tentatively identified by UHPLC-QTOF/MS and were quantified with the validated HPLC-ELSD method. Primary metabolites of DA-9801 were identified and profiled using ¹ H-NMR spectrometry. The batch-to-batch equivalence of DA-9801 was tested with the ¹ H-NMR spectra using spectral binning, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis.

RESULTS

Six major saponins of DA-9801 were tentatively identified by UHPLC-QTOF/MS. Among them, protodioscin and dioscin were quantified by the validated HPLC-ELSD method. Twenty-six metabolites were identified in ¹ H-NMR spectra. The similarity between DA-9801 batches could be evaluated with the NMR spectra of DA-9801. The ¹ H-NMR method also revealed that two Dioscorea species contributed distinct amino acids to the contents of DA-9801.

CONCLUSION

This study validates the effectiveness of UHPLC-QTOF/MS, HPLC-ELSD, and ¹ H NMR-combined method for quality control of DA-9801 and its crude materials. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of Lead in Smilax luzonensis Herbal Preparations in Malaysia

The DCA (Drug Control Authority) of Malaysia implemented the phase 3 registration of traditional medicines on 1 January 1992. As such, a total of 100 products in various pharmaceutical dosage forms of a herbal preparation containing Smilax luzonensis, either single or combined preparations, were analyzed for the presence of lead, using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results showed that 14% of the above products possessed 10.02 to 21.21 ppm of lead, and, therefore, they failed to comply with the quality requirement for traditional medicines in Malaysia (<10 ppm). Although this study showed that 86% of the products complied with the quality requirement for traditional medicines in Malaysia pertaining to lead, they cannot be assumed safe from lead contamination because of batch-to-batch inconsistency.

Evaluation of Ubtan - A traditional indian skin care formulation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

'Ubtan' is a traditional herbal formulation in the Indian system of medicine being used in India and its subcontinent for a long time. Several commercial skin care formulations are marketed throughout this region as the name of Ubtan. Therefore, it is worthwhile to evaluate Ubtan in respect of its efficacy as skin care formulation.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study was designed for the preparation of Ubtan and standardization through the chromatographic techniques by using suitable phyto-markers. Further, its antioxidant, sun protection factor (SPF) and anti-tyrosinase potential have been explored.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Four in-house formulations (UF-1, UF-2, UF-3 and UF-4) were prepared by mixing a varied quantity of each powdered plants, i.e. turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and sandalwood (Santalum album L.). Optimization of the formulations was made by evaluating its biological activity through in vitro assay. Evaluation of physicochemical properties of the optimized formulation (UF-1) has been carried out by analysis of pH, flow properties and stability. Moreover, RP-HPLC (reverse phase - high performance liquid chromatography) and HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography) standardization of UF-1 was performed for its quantitative and qualitative analysis.

RESULTS

Ubtan formulations (UF-1to UF-4) showed free radical scavenging and ferric reducing potential. It may be due to its high phenolic and flavonoid content. Statistically, significant Pearson's correlation (r) was confirmed the positive correlation between phenolic content and SPF of the formulations. The tyrosinase inhibition study indicated that the formulations showed both diphenolase and monophenolase inhibitory activity. Among four formulations, UF-1 showed notable biological activity (p<0.05). The content of curcumin and ascorbic acid was found to be 1.6% and 2.1% w/w respectively in UF-1 through RP-HPLC estimation. Physiochemical properties of the UF-1 exhibited good flow rate and aqueous solubility. From the stability studies, it can be anticipated that the UF-1 was stable at 40°C for longer periods. Microbial load count and heavy metal content (lead-Pb, arsenic-As, mercury-Hg and cadmium-Cd) of the formulation was also within the permissible limit of a pharmacopeial standard.

CONCLUSION

This scientific exploration helps to set the quality and safety standard of traditional cosmetic formulation, Ubtan and its further use as an herbal skin care product.

PHARMACEUTICAL EVALUATION AND TOXICOLOGICAL QUANTIFICATION OF HEAVY METALS AND ADULTERATED ALLOPATHIC CONTENTS IN RAW AND FINISHED DOSAGE FORM OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE HERBAL PRODUCTS

BACKGROUND

Herbal products of questionable quality create major concern for human population since their production is often not controlled and regulated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Antihypertensive herbal products were subjected to pharmaceutical quality control parameters specified in Pharmacopoeias, toxic quantification of heavy metals by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer and adulterated allopathic contents were quantified using advanced HPLC techniques.

RESULTS

A lot of variations in pharmaceutical parameters like moisture contents and LOD% values were observed. Also deviations to a greater extent in weight variation, (P1, P2, P6, P12, P16, P17, P19, and P20), and hardness of the tablets of products (P1, P3, P8 and P11) were found. Friability of tablets of the Products (P3, P9 and P11) was found failed. Heavy metals i-e Fe (1597.20ppm, 1648ppm) in P5, P9, Pb (61.32ppm, 16.59 ppm) in P5, Cr (96.91ppm,108.48 ppm) in P4, P14, Cd (39.53ppm, 32.31 ppm) in P11, P12, Cu (28.22ppm, 21.04 ppm) in P15, P17, Zn (80.31ppm,76.27 ppm) in P15, P16, Ni (45.46ppm,22.18ppm) in P9, P13 in toxic concentrations were detected. Adulterated allopathic contents of Amlpdopine in higher quantities, administered according to manufacturer dose were found in P12 (20.30 mg/day), Verapamil in P2 (93.50 mg/day), Nifedipine (38.65 mg/day) in P6. Products P4, P5 and P7 were found to have a combination of Amlodipine and Hydrochlorothiazide and higher concentrations were found in P5 (10.72 mg/day, 24.75 mg/day).

CONCLUSION

The antihypertensive herbal products contained different kind of adulterants. Our findings suggest that effective regulatory measures should be put in place to address this problem. This will help to decrease the toxic effects of these remedies and increase the commercialization, internationalization and harmonization of antihypertensive herbal products.

MYCOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND AFLATOXIN B1 CONTAMINANT ESTIMATION OF HERBAL DRUG RAW MATERIALS

BACKGROUND

The present study explores the fungal contamination of important herbal drug raw materials (HDRM), which are widely used in the preparation of many herbal drugs. Understanding of the microbial contamination status of HDRM is one of the important steps to ensure the safety and efficacy of herbal drugs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighteen samples of six herbal drug raw materials (HDRM) viz., Acorus calamus Linn., Cassia angustifolia Vahl., Centella asiatica (Linn.) Urban, Myristica fragrans Houtt., Tinospora cardifolia (Wild) Miers and Withania somnifera (Linn.) Dunal, were screened for fungal contamination, by employing serial dilution method. All the isolates of Aspergillus flavus were screened for their ability to produce aflatoxin B₁ (AB₁) and highly contaminated samples were subjected to AB₁ estimation by using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), spectrophotometric method and occurrence of Aflatoxin B₁ was confirmed by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis (LCMS).

RESULTS

A total of 302 isolates of 42 fungal species belonging to 17 genera were found in association with test the samples. More than 61% of A. flavus isolates tested positive for production of AB₁ and highest yield recorded was 5008.20 ppb from the isolates of T. cordifolia. Amongthesix highly contaminated samples three samples tested positive for AB₁. Highest AB₁ was recorded from T. cordifolia (104.19 μg/kg), followed by A. calamus (13.73 μg/kg) and M. fragrans (12.02 μg/kg).

CONCLUSION

Assessment of fungal and mycotoxin contamination should be a part of the quality check while selecting HDRM for manufacture of herbal products. Safe processing and storage practices are necessary.

A Lack of Bioactive Predictability for Marker Compounds Commonly Used for Herbal Medicine Standardization

The use of botanical medicine by practitioners and the general public has dramatically increased in recent years. Most of these botanical therapeutics are obtained through commercial manufacturers or nutraceutical companies. The current standard of practice that manufacturers typically use to standardize botanicals is done based on the level of a well-known, abundant marker compound present in the botanical. This study evaluated the putative correlation between the level of a marker compound and the biological activity of eight common botanicals. Overall, the standardization of a botanical based on a marker compound was found not to be a reliable method when compared to in vitro bioactivity. A marker compound is often not the biologically active component of a plant and therefore the level of such a marker compound does not necessarily correlate with biological activity or therapeutic efficacy.

Herbal Hepatotoxicity: Clinical Characteristics and Listing Compilation

Herb induced liver injury (HILI) and drug induced liver injury (DILI) share the common characteristic of chemical compounds as their causative agents, which were either produced by the plant or synthetic processes. Both, natural and synthetic chemicals are foreign products to the body and need metabolic degradation to be eliminated. During this process, hepatotoxic metabolites may be generated causing liver injury in susceptible patients. There is uncertainty, whether risk factors such as high lipophilicity or high daily and cumulative doses play a pathogenetic role for HILI, as these are under discussion for DILI. It is also often unclear, whether a HILI case has an idiosyncratic or an intrinsic background. Treatment with herbs of Western medicine or traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) rarely causes elevated liver tests (LT). However, HILI can develop to acute liver failure requiring liver transplantation in single cases. HILI is a diagnosis of exclusion, because clinical features of HILI are not specific as they are also found in many other liver diseases unrelated to herbal use. In strikingly increased liver tests signifying severe liver injury, herbal use has to be stopped. To establish HILI as the cause of liver damage, RUCAM (Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method) is a useful tool. Diagnostic problems may emerge when alternative causes were not carefully excluded and the correct therapy is withheld. Future strategies should focus on RUCAM based causality assessment in suspected HILI cases and more regulatory efforts to provide all herbal medicines and herbal dietary supplements used as medicine with strict regulatory surveillance, considering them as herbal drugs and ascertaining an appropriate risk benefit balance.

Pharmacognostical Studies

The chapter deals with tools and techniques employed in pharmacognosy. Pharmacognostic evaluation helps to screen the commercial varieties, substitutes, adulterants and any other quality control of the drugs. It is a simple and reliable tool, helps to obtain information about biochemical and physical properties of crude drug. Methods such as macroscopic and microscopic analysis, maceration, histochemical colour reaction, photomicrography, organoleptic character of plant powder and extracts, fluorescence analysis of plant powder with different chemical reagents, determination of pH of plant powder, water solubility index (WSI) and water absorption index (WAI) and acid value are discussed.

Quantitative and qualitative investigations of pharmacopoeial plant material polygoni avicularis herba by UHPLC-CAD and UHPLC-ESI-MS methods

INTRODUCTION

Polygonum aviculare L. also known as common knotgrass is an annual herbaceous weed occurring all over the world in the temperate regions. Recent studies report that flavonol glucuronides are major constituents of common knotgrass. There is no comprehensive analytical procedure for the standardisation of Polygoni Avicularis Herba available on the European market.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a method for the proper authentication and standardisation of Polygoni Avicularis Herba and to preliminary evaluate variability in qualitative and quantitative composition among commercial samples and samples from wild harvesting defined as Polygonum aviculare sensu lato.

METHODOLOGY

The UHPLC-ESI(+)-MS method was used for the qualitative screening of nine independent samples of Polygonum aviculare herb. The UHPLC-CAD method was developed for the quantitation of the major compounds in an extract using quercetin-3-O-glucuronide as a standard.

RESULTS

Twenty-five major constituents were detected and characterised. Among them three new natural products were tentatively identified. Twelve compounds were quantitated using a validated UHPLC-CAD method. In all nine samples flavonol glucuronides were confirmed as major compounds. The total flavonoid content was estimated for all samples and varied from 0.70 to 2.20%.

CONCLUSION

The developed procedure may be used for the routine standardisation of common knotgrass. The results indicate that the pharmacopoeial approach to the authentication and standardisation of Polygonum aviculare herb should be revised.

Cluster analysis of commercial samples of Bauhinia spp. using HPLC-UV/PDA and MCR-ALS/PCA without peak alignment procedure

INTRODUCTION

Bauhinia forficata Link. is recognised by the Brazilian Health Ministry as a treatment of hypoglycemia and diabetes. Analytical methods are useful to assess the plant identity due the similarities found in plants from Bauhinia spp. HPLC-UV/PDA in combination with chemometric tools is an alternative widely used and suitable for authentication of plant material, however, the shifts of retention times for similar compounds in different samples is a problem.

OBJECTIVE

To perform comparisons between the authentic medicinal plant (Bauhinia forficata Link.) and samples commercially available in drugstores claiming to be "Bauhinia spp. to treat diabetes" and to evaluate the performance of multivariate curve resolution - alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) associated to principal component analysis (PCA) when compared to pure PCA.

METHODOLOGY

HPLC-UV/PDA data obtained from extracts of leaves were evaluated employing a combination of MCR-ALS and PCA, which allowed the use of the full chromatographic and spectrometric information without the need of peak alignment procedures.

RESULTS

The use of MCR-ALS/PCA showed better results than the conventional PCA using only one wavelength. Only two of nine commercial samples presented characteristics similar to the authentic Bauhinia forficata spp., considering the full HPLC-UV/PDA data.

CONCLUSION

The combination of MCR-ALS and PCA is very useful when applied to a group of samples where a general alignment procedure could not be applied due to the different chromatographic profiles. This work also demonstrates the need of more strict control from the health authorities regarding herbal products available on the market.

Integrated LC-MS/MS Analytical Systems and Physical Inspection for the Analysis of a Botanical Herbal Preparation

The herbal decoction process is generally inconvenient and unpleasant. To avoid using herbal medicine decoctions, various high-quality industrial and pharmaceutical herbal decoction products have been used in clinical applications for more than ten years in Taiwan. However, the consistency and standardization of the quality of these herbal medicines are goals that remain to be achieved. The aim of study was to develop a validated liquid chromatography-tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to determine the biomarkers astragaloside I, astragaloside IV, formononetin, cinnamic acid, paeoniflorin and gingerol in the herbal preparation known as Huangqi-Guizhi-Wuwu (HGW). To investigate the physical quality of HGW, methods such as scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy with Congo red and potassium iodine staining, solubility measurements, swelling power tests, and crude fiber analysis were used to identify additives in commercial pharmaceutical products. The optimal LC-MS/MS multiple reaction-monitoring system included a gradient program using 5 mM ammonium acetate buffer with 0.05% formic acid/methanol. The results demonstrate deviations in biomarker content across different brands. In addition to the herbal extract, starch and excipients in the pharmaceutical granule, and crushed crude herb powder was added to the pharmaceutical products to increase their herbal ingredient content. In conclusion, a rigorous examination should be performed to certify the quality of the herbal products.

Evaluation of the bond strengths of 3 endodontic cements via push-out test

In this study, the push-out method was used to evaluate the bond strengths of 3 types of endodontic cements according to their composite base: methacrylate, epoxy resin, and an experimental copaiba oil resin. The study hypothesis was that the methacrylate-based and experimental cements would have bond strengths equal to or greater than that of the epoxy resin-based cement. Thirty bovine tooth roots, 18 mm long, were divided into 3 groups (n = 10) based on the chosen cement treatment. After treatment, the specimens were sectioned and submitted to a push-out test. Results showed that there was no statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the cements used or between the middle and apical thirds of the roots. It could be concluded that the tested cements had satisfactory and similar bond strengths to dentin.

DTB Select: 1 | January 2015

Every month, DTB scans sources of information on treatments, disease management and other healthcare topics for key items to bring to our readers' attention and help them keep up to date. To do this, we produce succinct, contextualised summaries of the information concerned. We also include comments on, for example, the strengths of the information, whether it contains anomalies, ambiguities, apparent error or omissions, or whether or how it affects current practice.

Future visions for traditional and herbal medicinal products--a global practice for evaluation and regulation?

Medicinal plants and traditional medicines have been used worldwide since ancient times. Currently, there is neither a globally consented terminology nor a harmonized regulatory approach. Nevertheless, it is common sense that quality, efficacy and safety should be assessed following scientific standards, addressing particulars and considering an adequate level of risk management. A global market for traditional medicines is emerging, if not already existing. Therefore, a constructive communication about regulatory systems for herbal and traditional medicinal products should be enforced. Best practice standards might be developed according to current scientific knowledge in order to improve mutual acceptance of data, sets of monographs and assessments. Overall, a convergence of the diverse regulatory systems might save resources and lead to an adequate availability of herbal and traditional medicinal products to the patients without neglecting public health.

The use of community herbal monographs to facilitate registrations and authorisations of herbal medicinal products in the European Union 2004-2012

The provisions for the simplified registration of traditional herbal medicinal products in the European Union were introduced by Directive 2004/24/EC amending Directive 2001/83/EC (Chapter 2a) in 2004. Since implementation in the European member states until December 2012 a total of 1015 registrations (traditional use) and 514 authorisations (well-established use) have been granted for products containing substances/ preparations from about 200 different herbal drugs. The overall number of received applications with more than one third still under assessment suggests a further increase for the next years. This review summarises the main features of registered and authorised herbal medicinal products in the EU and evaluates available data against provisions of Directive 2004/24/EC and European standards established by the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products at the European Medicines Agency. The supportive function of Community herbal monographs is described as regards availability and their use in national procedures, which is complemented by an analysis of specific future challenges from experiences made with the implementation of Directive 2004/24/EC so far.

Science meets regulation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) is a standard reference for both European and non-European countries and defines requirements for the qualitative and quantitative composition of medicines. Herbal drug (HD) monographs state which aspects have to be considered for quality assurance through the relevant chapters "Definition", "Characters", "Identification", "Tests", and "Assay". Identification of botanical material is achieved by macroscopic and microscopic morphology, generally examined by a trained expert. Content or assay is the most difficult area of quality control to perform, since in most herbal drugs the active constituents are unknown and markers should be used which cannot be really related to the quality. The other critical points are represented by the purity tests, in particular some tests such as heavy metals, aflatoxins and pesticides are laborious and time intensive, requiring a significant investment in equipment, materials, and maintenance.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A literature survey concerning alternative and/or complementary tools for quality control of botanicals has been performed by searching the scientific databases Pubmed, SciFinder, Scopus and Web of Science.

RESULTS

Diverse analytical methods including DNA fingerprinting, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Near Infra Red (NIR) and (bio)sensors have been reported in the literature to evaluate the quality of botanical products. Identification of plants at the species level can be successfully based on genome-based methods, using DNA barcodes, the nucleotide sequence of a short DNA fragment. NMR can provide direct NMR fingerprint determination (complete assignment of the signals by 1D and 2D experiments), quantitative NMR and chemometric analysis (the metabolite fingerprint is based on the distribution of intensity in the NMR spectrum to provide sample classification). NIR spectroscopy is a fast qualitative and quantitative analytical method, getting knowledge about plant species and/or its geographic origin. Finally, the development of chemical and biological sensors is currently one of the most active areas of analytical research. Immobilization of specific enzymes led to recognize definite class of compounds such as cysteine sulfoxides, glucosinolates, cyanogenic glycosides, and polyphenols. Other recognition elements are nucleic acids to evaluate the ability of different molecules to bind DNA. Sensors have also been developed for the detection of heavy metals in botanicals. Moreover, the analysis of mycotoxins and pesticides, could represent another field of possible application.

CONCLUSIONS

These alternative/complementary analytical methods represent tools which appear to be an analyst's dream: they are able to give rapid analysis responses; to operate directly on complex matrices, in many cases; to be selective and sensitive enough for the required application; to be portable and sometimes also disposable; and to have fast analysis times.

TradReg 2013: regulation of herbal and traditional medicinal products--European and global strategies--international symposium

Plants have always been an important source of treatment. The important contribution of phytotherapy became particularly recognised through European Directive 2004/24/EC (Directive 2004/24/EC, 2004), which set up a new Committee dedicated to herbal medicinal products at the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In addition, it created a new status for traditional herbal medicinal products by making possible their simplified "registration" based on plausible level of efficacy. Nearly 10 years after the creation of this new framework, an impressive number of monographs were established. However, implementation remains a challenge. There is also a critical need to encourage innovation and research and to ensure that new pieces of legislation are applied to herbal medicinal products taking due account of their characteristics. This article reflects the concerns and expectations of the European manufacturers of herbal medicines.

Regulation of traditional herbal medicinal products in Japan

Kampo medicines are the main traditional herbal medicines in Japan and are classified as pharmaceuticals. They are based on ancient Chinese medicine and have evolved to the Japanese original style over a long period of time. Ethical Kampo formulations are prescribed in general practice by physician under the National Health Insurance reimbursement system. Over-the-counter (OTC) Kampo formulations can be purchased and used for self-medication in primary health care settings. Kampo medicines have a substantial role in the Japanese healthcare system. In the early 1970s, "The Internal Assignments on the Review for Approval of OTC Kampo Products", known as "210 OTC Kampo Formulae", was published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (currently the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). In 2008, "210 OTC Kampo Formulae" was revised and presented as "The Approval Standards for OTC Kampo Products" and now 294 Kampo formulae are listed in the standards. These products have had wide spread usage in Japan. Crude drugs and Kampo extracts have been listed in The Japanese Pharmacopoeia. Both The Approval Standards and The Quality Standards play a key role in regulation of Kampo products. "Application Guideline for Western Traditional Herbal Medicines as OTC Drugs" was published in 2007. Other ethnopharmaceuticals mostly from Europe could be approved as OTC drugs in Japan.

Quality standards of the European Pharmacopoeia

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) provides a legal and scientific reference for the quality control of medicines. It is legally binding in the 38 signatory parties of the Convention on the elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia (37 member states and the European Union).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The requirements for a specific herbal drug are prescribed in the corresponding individual monograph and the relevant general monographs. Criteria for pesticides and heavy metals for example are defined in the general monograph on Herbal drugs. The Ph. Eur. also provides general methods including methods for determination of aflatoxins B1 and ochratoxin A. Screening methods for aristolochic acids are applied for herbal drugs that may be subject to adulteration or substitution with plant material containing aristolochic acids.

CONCLUSION

The Ph. Eur. collaborate in many areas with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to ensure close collaboration as regards the respective work programmes and approach.

Traditional herbal medicines worldwide, from reappraisal to assessment in Europe

Since 2004 the regulatory framework within the European Union has a specific assessment procedure for herbal medicinal products, with a medicinal use based on traditional practice. The main requirement concerning the traditional use is focussed on the period of time for medical use: at least 30 years, including 15 years in the EU. In addition to requirements for quality and safety, an evaluation of pharmacological effects or efficacy based on long-standing use, is a main objective. "Traditional Use" however encompasses European, and non-European traditional use. Outside the EU, the medicinal use of herbal substances, preparations, and combinations is well-known, with a long history, which is well-documented in the different systems of medical practice. This has been addressed by WHO, but it has been acknowledged also by European Commission that herbal products from other systems of medicine, can be subject to the procedure for traditional herbal medicinal products. This paper will focus on the possibilities, restraints, and challenges of regulatory practice in the European Union regarding these category of medicinal products.

Monographs, list entries, public statements

RESULTS

According to Directive 2004/24/EC which amended the basic legislation laid down in Directive 2001/83/EC a new European legislation on herbal medicinal products was developed, in order to harmonize the use of herbal medicinal products in Member States of the European Union.

CONCLUSIONS

The objective of this legislation was to ensure the future existence of such products and to consider particular characteristics during the assessment of their quality, efficacy and safety, having defined two categories for herbal medicines: i) well-established use herbal medicinal products, which can be granted a marketing authorization; and ii) traditional herbal medicinal products which can be granted a registration based on their longstanding safe and efficient use.