Chemical Adulterants in Herbal Medicinal Products: A Review

Planta Med. 2016 Apr;82(6):505-15. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-103495. Epub 2016 Apr 7.

Abstract

Many herbal medicinal products have been found to contain synthetic prescription drugs as chemical adulterants. This has become evident by the number of toxicity cases and adverse reactions reported in which casualties were reported via analytical techniques that detected the presence of chemical adulterants in them, which could be responsible for their toxicity. The adulteration of herbal medicinal products with synthetic drugs continues to be a serious problem for regulatory agencies. This review provides up to date information on cases of toxicity, major chemical adulterants in herbal medicinal products, and current analytical techniques used for their detection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Chromatography, Thin Layer / methods
  • Drug Contamination*
  • Electrophoresis, Capillary / methods
  • Herbal Medicine*
  • Humans
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Plant Preparations / adverse effects
  • Plant Preparations / chemistry*
  • Plant Preparations / toxicity*
  • Plants, Medicinal

Substances

  • Plant Preparations