Labeling compliance and online claims for Ayurvedic herbal supplements on the U.S. market associated with the purported treatment of COVID-19

Jordan, Chevon R.; Harris, Calin M.; Miranda, Miranda I.; Kim, Diane Y.; Hellberg, Rosalee S.

doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.109673

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Dietary supplements ( n = 54) were collected from nine categories of herbal products associated with the purported prevention or treatment of COVID‐19 and other respiratory illnesses in Ayurvedic medicine 5–8 : amla, ashwagandha, cinnamon, ginger, guduchi, tribulus, tulsi, turmeric, and vacha (Table 1). A subset of these samples was also utilized in a study investigating labeling compliance and online claims associated with these supplements 17 . Six products from each category were purchased from online retailers and local retailers in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, CA, between July and December 2021.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A subset of these samples was also utilized in a study investigating labeling compliance and online claims associated with these supplements. 17 Six products from each category were purchased from online retailers and local retailers in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, CA, between July and December 2021. All six products from the tulsi category were labeled as "Ocimum sanctum," which is considered a synonym for the accepted scientific name of O. tenuiflorum.…”

Section: Sample Collection and Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[11][12][13] Numerous studies have reported adulteration and mislabeling of herbal supplements and herbal remedies used in traditional medicine. 12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Common types of mislabeling include substitution of an ingredient with a less expensive substance and the use of fillers or colorants. Many of these adulteration types are suspected to be intentional, but herbal preparations may also be unintentionally cross-contaminated during bulk harvest, storage, or production.…”

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confidence: 99%

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DNA barcoding of herbal supplements on the US commercial market associated with the purported treatment of COVID‐19

Harris,

Kim,

Jordan

et al. 2024

Phytochemical Analysis

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IntroductionThe COVID‐19 pandemic was associated with an increased global use of traditional medicines, including Ayurvedic herbal preparations. Due to their growing demand, their processed nature, and the complexity of the global supply chain, there is an increased risk of adulteration in these products.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to assess the use of DNA barcoding for species identification in herbal supplements on the US market associated with the Ayurvedic treatment of respiratory symptoms.MethodsA total of 54 commercial products containing Ayurvedic herbs were tested with four DNA barcoding regions (i.e., rbcL, matK, ITS2, and mini‐ITS2) using two composite samples per product. Nine categories of herbs were targeted: amla, ashwagandha, cinnamon, ginger, guduchi, tribulus, tulsi, turmeric, and vacha.ResultsAt least one species was identified in 64.8% of products and the expected species was detected in 38.9% of products. Undeclared plant species, including other Ayurvedic herbs, rice, and pepper, were detected in 19 products, and fungal species were identified in 12 products. The presence of undeclared plant species may be a result of intentional substitution or contamination during harvest or processing, while fungal DNA was likely associated with the plant material or the growing environment. The greatest sequencing success (42.6–46.3%) was obtained with the matK and rbcL primers.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that a combination of genetic loci should be used for DNA barcoding of herbal supplements. Due to the limitations of DNA barcoding in identification of these products, future research should incorporate chemical characterization techniques.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sample Collection and Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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DNA barcoding of herbal supplements on the US commercial market associated with the purported treatment of COVID‐19

Harris,

Kim,

Jordan

et al. 2024

Phytochemical Analysis

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“…Unethical adulteration practices, combined with natural complexity and potential human errors, have a significant impact on the quality of botanical products ( Heinrich, 2015 ). Furthermore, non-compliant physical labels and false online claims of herbal products pose additional safety hazards ( You et al, 2022 ; Jordan et al, 2023 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horizon scan of DNA-based methods for quality control and monitoring of herbal preparations

2023

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Herbal medicines and preparations are widely used in healthcare systems globally, but concerns remain about their quality and safety. New herbal products are constantly being introduced to the market under varying regulatory frameworks, with no global consensus on their definition or characterization. These biologically active mixtures are sold through complex globalized value chains, which create concerns around contamination and profit-driven adulteration. Industry, academia, and regulatory bodies must collaborate to develop innovative strategies for the identification and authentication of botanicals and their preparations to ensure quality control. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) has significantly improved our understanding of the total species diversity within DNA mixtures. The standard concept of DNA barcoding has evolved over the last two decades to encompass genomic data more broadly. Recent research in DNA metabarcoding has focused on developing methods for quantifying herbal product ingredients, yielding meaningful results in a regulatory framework. Techniques, such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), DNA barcode-based Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (BAR-RPA), DNA barcoding coupled with High-Resolution Melting (Bar-HRM), and microfluidics-based methods, offer more affordable tests for the detection of target species. While target capture sequencing and genome skimming are considerably increasing the species identification resolution in challenging plant clades, ddPCR enables the quantification of DNA in samples and could be used to detect intended and unwanted ingredients in herbal medicines. Here, we explore the latest advances in emerging DNA-based technologies and the opportunities they provide as taxa detection tools for evaluating the safety and quality of dietary supplements and herbal medicines.

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“…There remains a lack of consensus on the description and characterization of pharmacologically and biologically active extracts and metabolites, often at a very fundamental level. Jordan et al (2023) , for example, raise concerns about the authenticity of some “botanicals” as well as unexpected contamination and profit-based artificialization. Simultaneously, scientific evidence is used to achieve general acceptance and agreement, mostly via an authorization by the FDA of poorly characterized medicinal or dietary products.…”

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confidence: 99%

Editorial: Insights in ethnopharmacology: 2022

Kim,

Heinrich,

Yen

et al. 2023

Front. Pharmacol.

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Labeling compliance and online claims for Ayurvedic herbal supplements on the U.S. market associated with the purported treatment of COVID-19

Cited by 4 publications

References 46 publications

DNA barcoding of herbal supplements on the US commercial market associated with the purported treatment of COVID‐19

DNA barcoding of herbal supplements on the US commercial market associated with the purported treatment of COVID‐19

Horizon scan of DNA-based methods for quality control and monitoring of herbal preparations

Editorial: Insights in ethnopharmacology: 2022

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