DNA Barcoding for Medicinal Plant Authentication

DNA barcoding employs short, standardised genetic regions to verify the identity of medicinal plant species and detect substitution or contamination. By amplifying and sequencing loci such as rbcL, matK and the ITS2 region, practitioners can compare sample sequences to curated reference libraries and confirm botanical origins even in highly processed materials. This approach addresses long-standing challenges in herbal medicine quality control, where morphological and chemical assays may lack the resolution to distinguish closely related taxa or reveal undeclared ingredients. Its deployment spans raw herb authentication, post-market surveillance and supply-chain traceability, enhancing consumer safety and regulatory oversight. Advances in primer design, database development and sequencing workflows have improved amplification success rates and species discrimination power, while integration with chemical profiling ensures a comprehensive assessment of both identity and active compound content. As global demand for botanical therapies grows, DNA barcoding has emerged as a cost-effective, scalable tool to uphold standards in research, commerce and public health.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Large-scale surveys of traditional medicine markets have revealed patterns of adulteration and species substitution, underscoring the need for regulatory platforms based on DNA sequence data. A comprehensive investigation across primary herbal markets in China demonstrated that standardised ITS2 barcodes could be generated for the majority of samples, yet a notable fraction were identified as non-authentic species, prompting calls for traceable monitoring systems. In another study, DNA barcoding of commercial Rhodiola supplements uncovered complex origins: fewer than half of tested products contained the pharmacopeial species, with others belonging to alternative congeners, highlighting potential safety and efficacy concerns. More recently, amplicon metabarcoding applied to Hypericum perforatum herbal products has proven capable of detecting both target and off-label plant species within complex formulations, outperforming conventional chromatography in revealing substitution, and offering a model for post-marketing quality assurance.

DNA Barcoding for Medicinal Plant Authentication publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dna barcoding for medicinal plant authentication across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

DNA barcoding: Use of short, standardised genetic regions to identify species by sequence comparison against reference libraries.

Metabarcoding: Parallel sequencing of barcode loci from mixed or processed samples to detect multiple species simultaneously.

Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2): A nuclear ribosomal DNA region with high interspecific variability widely adopted as a plant barcode.

High-throughput sequencing (HTS): Massively parallel DNA sequencing technologies that enable comprehensive detection of species in complex mixtures.

Adulteration: Substitution or contamination of herbal products with undeclared or incorrect botanical species.

References

1. DNA-based techniques to check quality and authenticity of food, feed and medicinal products of plant origin: A review. Trends in Food Science & Technology (2024).
2. Benefits and Limitations of DNA Barcoding and Metabarcoding in Herbal Product Authentication. Phytochemical Analysis (2017).
3. An authenticity survey of herbal medicines from markets in China using DNA barcoding. Scientific Reports (2016).
4. Survey of commercial Rhodiola products revealed species diversity and potential safety issues. Scientific Reports (2015).
5. Medicinal Plants Recommended by the World Health Organization: DNA Barcode Identification Associated with Chemical Analyses Guarantees Their Quality. PLOS ONE (2015).
6. Comparative authentication of Hypericum perforatum herbal products using DNA metabarcoding, TLC and HPLC-MS. Scientific Reports (2017).
7. Regulatory landscape of dietary supplements and herbal medicines from a global perspective. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology (2020).