Reference substances for plant materials of toxicological interest

Plant toxins have been encountered as poisons since ancient times. Toxic plant material can also appear, by accident or design, in herbal products offered for sale. In addition, as access to illegal drugs is strictly controlled, there is an increasing trend of websites and underground literature directing consumers seeking psychoactive effects towards plants and plant products for their intoxicating potential and their ease of procurement. As a result, forensic science institutes continue to report the need for well characterised reference substances for materials of plant origin which have toxic, hallucinogenic, psychedelic, stimulating or relaxing effects.

Some phytochemical reference materials are available from specialist suppliers; however these sources have not traditionally supplied forensic institutions and are not aware of their needs. Conversely, forensic institutions are not well informed about sources of phytochemical reference materials.

An initiative has been mounted to establish which phytochemical reference materials are of potential interest to forensic institutions and are commercially available. A small group of forensic toxicologists and drugs analysts were consulted to establish their „wish list“ of plant reference materials. We then reviewed the phytochemical reference standards to identify which are commercially available.

A reference list of available phytochemical reference materials will be a useful tool for forensic toxicologists. A list of hard, or impossible, to obtain materials will also be of value to encourage producers of phytochemical reference materials to develop new materials of use to forensic toxicologists. We therefore welcome recommendations from practising toxicologists of phytochemical reference standards which they would like to be able to obtain to support their work and from phytochemical reference material producers of products of potential interest to toxicologists.