Planta Med 2019; 85(18): 1563
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3400135
Main Congress Poster
Poster Session 2
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Can one monograph cover all traditions? The Cyperus rotundus L., case

C Gkouva
2   Advanced Botanicals Analysis Laboratory (ABAL),, UK
,
C Lockie-Williams
2   Advanced Botanicals Analysis Laboratory (ABAL),, UK
,
L Gibson
2   Advanced Botanicals Analysis Laboratory (ABAL),, UK
,
C Howard
1   De Montfort University,, Gateway House, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
2   Advanced Botanicals Analysis Laboratory (ABAL),, UK
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
20 December 2019 (online)

 

The drive to incorporate Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic herbal drugs in Western Pharmacopoeias is undoubtedly a positive action towards safeguarding public health.

C. rotundus rhizome is an herbal medicine within at least two traditional systems from outside of the EU and is currently available on the EU market. In this study, a diverse collection of samples from the EU market are analyzed using a three-tier testing approach [Fig. 1] to investigate whether the ethnobotanical origin of raw materials has a significant impact on characteristics.

DNA barcoding analysis successfully confirmed the identity of most unprocessed market samples as C. rotundus, and samples fell into two subgroups within the species. Two main processing types were detected within the C. rotundus sample set of TCM origin, dried with the fibrous roots removed and sliced/dry-fried. The Ayurvedic C. rotundus rhizome market samples were of high macroscopical conformity, and adhered to the standards set by the Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants[ 1 ] rather than the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India[ 2 ]. The generated HPTLC profiles correlated with the traditional origin of the material and were unaffected by the processing type.

By providing an amalgamated investigation on the C. rotundus rhizome material available to EU consumers, this study highlights the significance of the traditional background of materials. In a global commerce environment, the standardised labelling of goods based on Latin binomials does not give a sufficient level of detail. The quality standards required for each tradition are separate, and often not interchangeable.

Zoom Image
Fig. 1 The three-tier approach followed in the study.
 

  • References

  • 1 Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants, Vol. 1. New Delhi: Indian Council of Medical Research; 2003: 89-94
  • 2 The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part 1, Vol. 3. New Delhi: The Controller of Publications Civil Lines; 2001: 129-130
  • 3 The British Pharmacopoeia, Vol 4. London: The Stationery Office; 2019: 45-46