Survey on the Original Plant Species of Crude Drugs Distributed as Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix and Its Related Crude Drugs in the Korean and Chinese Markets

Abstract

Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix (CWR) is used in Korea as a substitute for Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR), which is a crude drug traditionally used in East Asian countries. Recently, the use of Cynanchi Auriculati Radix (CAR) in place of PMR and CWR has emerged a major concern in the Korean market. In Japan, PMR is permitted to be distributed as a pharmaceutical regulated by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia 17th edition (JP17). Although CWR and CAR have not traditionally been used as medicines, CWR was recently introduced as a health food. The distribution of unfamiliar CWR-containing products could lead to the misuse of original species for PMR and CWR like in Korea. To prevent this situation, the original species of plant products distributed as PMR, CWR, and CAR in the Korean and Chinese markets were surveyed and identified by their genes and components. The results revealed that all two PMR in the Korean market were misapplied as CAR, and that CAR was incorrectly used in eight of thirteen products distributed as CWR in both markets. As PMR is strictly controlled by JP17, the risk of mistaking PMR for CWR and CAR would be low in Japan. In contrast, the less stringent regulation of health food products and the present situation of misidentification of CWR in the Korean and Chinese markets could lead to unexpected health hazards. To ensure the quality and safety of crude drugs, it is important to use the information about the genes and components of these crude drugs.

Technology Trends and Patenting Prospects of Medicinal Plants in Korea

“…Although the technological level has dropped, Sheng di huang and Cynanchi wilfordii radix plant increased in the number of patents. The result is consistent with the rapid increase in the demand in the Korean market and the introduction of health foods containing C. wilfordii radix in Japan (Sato-Masumoto et al, 2017). Therefore, it is assumed that the technology level of those medicinal plants will increase in the future since the number of patents associated with those plants were increasing rapidly (WIPS, 2018).…”

Preliminary Quality Evaluation and Characterization of Phenolic Constituents in Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix

“…CAR resembles CWR closely in appearance as shown in Figure 4 . In this study, CWR and CAR (four and nine samples, respectively) identified using DNA sequences [ 5 ] were used as the test samples ( Table 2 and Figure 4 ). HPLC chromatograms of MeOH extracts (CWR-Ex and CAR-Ex) obtained from these samples are shown in Figure 5 .…”

“…CWR and CAR for HPLC and TLC analyses were obtained from the Gyeongdong or Chinese markets and were provided by Japanese crude drug wholesalers. The identities of all the crude drugs were confirmed using DNA sequences [ 5 ]. All other reagents used were of analytical grade.…”

“…We recently reported a survey on the original plant species of crude drugs widely distributed as CWR in the Korean and Chinese markets. This study revealed that CAR was incorrectly used in eight of the 13 products distributed as CWR, including possible confusion of CWR and CAR [ 5 ]. Previous phytochemical investigations of CWR identified the presence of pregnane glycosides, acetophenones, and humulanolides [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…Several studies have assessed the quality of CWR and CAR and have aimed to distinguish between them using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) [ 12 , 13 ], and many methods used to identify crude drugs ensure reliability. However, in this study, the characterization of phenolic constituents in authentic original CWR plant species is identified using DNA sequences [ 5 ], and a simple and convenient thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method for the distinction of CWR and CAR to ensure the quality and safety of their crude drugs.…”