Indian Medicinal Plants In Trade

The commercial consumption of medicinal plants has shown tremendous growth making it a 68 Billion US $ industry with about 30% growth

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Indian Medicinal Plants in Trade

INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS IN TRADE (A case study of adulterants and their identification) Abstract Out of about 46,000 plant species described in India around 6000 species are used as medicinal plants in all the codified and non codified systems of medicine prevalent in India. From these, 2400 species are documented in codified medicinal systems namely Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Swa-rigpa (Tibetan), Homoeopathy and Western and 3600 species are exclusively used by ethnic communities across the various ecosystems in the country. Around a 1000 species used by codified systems are also used by the ethnic communities. Thus, the ethnic communities totally use around 4600 species. Out of these 6000 medicinal plants 960 species are in trade for manufacturing medicines by more than 9000 licensed manufacturing units all over the country. Under the crude drug identification services of NISCAIR, 3586 crude drug samples have been received for identification from various plant based pharmaceutical companies, traders of medicinal plants, crude drug dealers, research students and teachers from various Universities, Colleges of Pharmacy, and scientists from various Research Institutions, during April 1998 to November 2008. Out of them, 401 samples have been found botanically erroneous. The usage of such adulterated or spurious raw materials for manufacturing medicine in place of genuine one is responsible for lowering quality and efficacy of the drug because the adulterated material may not have the active compound. Moreover, it may have toxic compound that may cause deleterious effect on human health. Consequently, reliability of the finished products at national and international level is affected and betraying the faith of people on Indian Systems of Medicine. For the protection of consumer's interest, correct botanical identity of the crude drug is essential. Unfortunately there is no single method to assure 100 per cent correct identification of the crude drug material but the goal can be achieved through the application of a variety of different methodologies. The whole process starts with from the collection of the material and keeping good voucher specimens that act as reference material followed by macroscopic and microscopic examinations, Chemical analysis and DNA-based techniques. Therefore, the present study suggests that correct botanical identity and authenticity of the crude drug materials must be ensured before using the same for preparing medicine.

Introduction Crude drugs are the starting raw material for manufacturing herbal medicines. Efficacy of any medicine depends on the genuineness and quality of the raw materials used for its preparation. In the days of yore, Vaidyas or Hakims were well acquainted with the herbs used by them as medicine for treatment of an ailment. They were not only used to collect medicinal plants from the nearly forests, but also preparing various drug formulations themselves as per needs of the patients. Therefore, 44

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there was a least chance of using material other than the genuine one as medicine. But present day scenario is entirely different and has gone dramatic change during the last century on account of the shift of manufacturing process from home scale produce to industrial production and most of the herbal practitioners and plant based Pharmaceutical Companies largely depend upon the crude drug dealers and traders to meet their requirement of raw materials. Today over 700 manufactured products are prepared by more than 9000 licensed manufacturing units in India and the annual domestic consumption by the Indian herbal Industry during the year 20052006 was 1,70,000 MT (Ved & Goraya, 2007). Because of wide spread belief that herbal medicines are safer than synthetic drugs, demand of medicinal plants has increased many fold in the national and international markets. Besides, demands of medicinal plants are also increasing to meat the needs of modern medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, herbal cosmetics, and toiletry products in national and international markets. It is estimated that the current domestic turnover of herbal products in India is in between Rs. 7000 to 8000 crores per annum. Foreign trade related to finish herbal products as well as raw materials is Rs. 3,600 crores per annum. Further, the domestic as well as export turnover of herbal products in India will increase up to Rs. 14,500/- and 9,000/- crores respectively by 2012 (Anonymous, 2008). Thus the commercial exploitation of medicinal plants at global level has shown tremendous growth making it a 68 Billion US $ industry with about 30% annual growth, which is expected to touch one trillion US $ by 2020 and 5 Trillion US $ by the years 2050 (Singh, 2007). As cultivation of medicinal plants in India is limited, over 90 percent medicinal plants are being harvested from the wild habitats to meet ever-growing demands of national and international market. But, due to various natural and man made factors like earth quakes, landslides, Tsunamy, floods, draughts, Forest wildfires, population growth, urbanization, industrialization, mining, construction of highways, dams, introduction of exotic species, increase in agriculture land, slash or burn agriculture practices, grazing, over exploitation, injudicious or unscientific collection from wild, illegal trade in endangered species, etc. natural habitats of medicinal plants are destroying. As a result, natural population of medicinal plants is depleting. Recently, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has reported that over 200 Indian medicinal plants have come at the verge of danger of threat (Singh, 2007). Consequently, availability of these medicinal plants is decreasing. Due to less availability of medicinal plants and high demand of these plants, there is a gap in demand and supply that lead to adulteration and substitution for genuine material. The works carried out on identification of spurious crude drugs have been reviewed by Mehrotra et al (2003). Singh & Kumar (2005) are of the opinion that about 9.48 percent crude drug samples found spurious in the market. The usages of such adulterated or spurious raw materials for manufacturing medicine deteriorate the quality and efficacy of the finished product.

Indian Medicinal Plants in Trade

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Moreover, the adulterants may be having toxic compounds that may produce deleterious effect on human health. Because of this, reliability of the finished products at national and international level is affected and betraying the faith of people on Indian System of Medicine. For instance, recently, countries like USA, Canada, and European Union have imposed ban on consumption of some of the Indian Ayurvedic medicines. Keeping in view the above, National Institute of Science Communication And Information Resources (NISCAIR), a constituent establishment of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi has set up Raw Materials Herbarium & Museum Delhi (RHMD). The RHMD has been recognized by the Index Herbariorum, New York, USA, a constituent establishment of the International Association of Plant Taxonomists (IAPT) and New York Botanical Gardens, USA. The acronym RHMD has been allotted to it by them. RHMD houses over 7000 authentic Herbarium specimens, 2200 crude drug samples, 200 Zoological specimens and 225 mineral samples, which have been acquired by donation from the regional centres of Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Geological Survey of India (GSI), Central Council for Research in Ayurverda & Siddha (CCRAS), and from the national laboratories like National Botanical Research Institute, (NBRI), Lucknow, Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, North –East Institute of Science & Technology, (NEIST) Jorhat, Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, (IIIM), Jammu, Institute of Minerals & Metals (IMMT), Bhubaneswar and several other departments of various Universities, and also collected through field collections by our staff from all over the country. These authentic samples have been preserved in RHMD and being used as standard reference materials while identifying the crude drug samples.

Materials and methods Under the crude drug identification services, 3486 crude drug samples have been received during April 1998 to November 2008 for identification, either in botanical name(s) or in Trade, local or English name(s), from various plant based pharmaceutical companies, traders of medicinal plants, crude drug dealers, research students, faculty members of various universities and pharmacy colleges, and scientists of research institutions. These samples are deposited in RHMD for future references. Soon after receiving the crude drug sample(s) they have been studied under binocular microscope (BM) for their physical appearance followed by soaking them in lukewarm water for 2-4 hours, depending upon the hardness of the material, for softening tissues. The techniques for studying macroscopic and microscopic characters were followed by Stace (1965), Gupta (2003) and Lohar (2007). The characters observed under microscope were matched with the characters described in published literature like the Wealth of India, an encyclopedia of raw materials, the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, the Unani Pharmacopoeia of India, Illustrated manual of herbal drugs used in Ayurveda, Indian Materia Medica, Indian Medicinal Plants, and various regional, state and national floras. For checking English, regional or trade names, besides the above said books, Torkelson (1999) and Kareem (1997) have also been followed. To ensure correct identity, detailed comparative studies of the sample(s) received for identification were carried out with those authentic crude drug samples deposited in RHMD.

Results Results obtained after critical study of the crude drug samples received for identification are given in Tables I , II and III.

Table 1 : Year-wise breakup of samples received and identified during Apr. 1998 to Nov. 2008, and the percentage of samples found incorrect. Sl no.

Year

No. of samples received

No. of samples found correct

No. of samples found spurious /incorrect

Percentage of spurious samples

1.

1998-1999

88

68

20

22.72

2.

1999-2000

72

59

13

18.05

3.

2000-2001

188

173

15

7.97

4.

2001-2002

232

217

15

6.46

5.

2002-2003

316

291

25

7.91

6.

2003-2004

312

268

44

14.10

7.

2004-2005

323

292

31

9.59

8.

2005-2006

718

649

69

9.61

9.

2006-2007

426

388

38

8.92

10.

2007-2008

401

326

75

18.70

11.

2008-2009 Total

410

354

56

13.65

3486

3085

401

11.50 (Average)

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Table 2 : Samples received by botanical name(s) identified as incorrect Sl no. 1 2 3 4

Probable trade name Biranjasif, Gandana Atis Nepali Bankhor, Pangar Dad Mari, Kurand ghas

Sample received as Achillea millefolium Linn. Aconitum napellus Linn. Aesculus indica Colebr. Ammannia baccifera Linn.

Part Seeds Rhizome Seeds Whole plant

5 6 7

Malaria plant, Sweet annie. Shatawar

Artemisia annua Linn. Artemisia moorcroftiana Wall. Asparagus racemosus Willd.

Whole plant Whole plant Root

8 9

Neem Pot Marigold

Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Calendula officinalis Linn.

Leaves Whole plant

10 11 12

Kusum Tarwar Pawad

Carthamus tinctorius Linn. Cassia auriculata Linn. Cassia tora Linn.

Whole plant Flowers Flowers

13

Brahma-manduki

Centella asiatica (L.) Urban

Whole plant

14 15

Kasni Dalchini

Cichorium intybus Linn. Cinnamomum zeylanicum Breyn.

Roots Bark

Crysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin.

Whole plant

16 17 18

Kachur Akasbel

Curcuma zedoaria Rosc. Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.

Rhizome Whole plant

19 20 21

Dhub, Hariali Kulthi

Cynodon dactylon Pers. Dioscorea villosa Linn. Dolichos biflorus Linn.

Whole plant Root/Rhizome Seeds

22

Vai-Vidang

Embelia ribes Linn.

Fruits

23 24

Field Horse Tail Dudhi

Equisetum arvense Linn. Euphorbia hirta Linn.

Whole plant Whole plant

25 26 27

Saunf Kavitha, Kaith Pitpara

Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Feronia elephantum Correa Fumaria officinaslis Linn.

Roots Fruits Whole plants

28 29 30

Yellow Gentian Anantmool Bassant, Balsana

Gentiana lutea Linn. Hemidesmus indicus R.Br. Hypericum perforatum Linn.

Whole plant Roots Whole plant

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Sample identified as Pimpinella anisum Linn. Aconitum chasmanthum Stapf Entada pursaetha DC. Corchorus depressus (L.) C. Chr. syn. C. antichorus Raeusch. Artemisia nilagirica (C.B. Clarke) Pamp. Artemisia brevifolia Wall. ex DC. Asparagus sarmentosus Linn. Asparagus adscendens Roxb. Asparagus gonocladus Baker Asparagus curillus Wall. Melia azedarach Linn. Tagetes errecta Linn. Cosmos bipinnatus Cav. Verbesina encelioides(C.)Benth. & H. ex A. Peltophorum pterocarpum Back. ex K. H. Senna montana (B. Heyne ex Roth) V. Singh, syn. Cassia montana B. Heyne ex Roth. Merremia emarginata (Burm.f.) Hallier f. syn. Merremia gangetica (L.) Cufo Stem of Cichorium intybus Linn. Cinnamomum impressinervium Miessn. Cinnamomum cassia Blume Cinnamomum tamala Nees & Eberm. Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv. syn. Andropogon contortus Linn. Hedychium spicatum Buch. –Ham. Cuscuta chinensis Lamk. Cuscuta hyalina Heyne ex Roth. Mollugo cerviana (L.) Seringe Poa annua Linn. Dioscorea deltoidea Wall. Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lamk.) Verdc. syn. Dolichos uniflorum Lam. Embelia tsjeriam –cottam ( Roems & Schult.) A. DC. Equisetum diffusum D. Don Enicostimma hyssopifolium (Willd.) V. syn. E. littorale Blume Stem of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Hydnocarpus alpina Wight Fumaria vaillantii Loisel. syn. F. indica Pugsley Valeriana officinalis Linn. Decalepis hamiltonii Wight. & Arn. Hypericum dyeri Rehder Hypericum oblongifolium Choisy Syn.H. cernuum Roxb. H. elodeoides Choisy H.oblongifolium Choisy Reinwardtia indica Dun.

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Sl no. Probable trade name 31 Ghiabati, Panch-patri

Sample received as Ipomoea pestigridis Linn.

Part Whole plant

32

Jivanti

Leptadenia reticulata Wight & Arn.

Roots

33

Karvitori

Luffa amara Roxb.

Seeds

34 35 36 37

Nisoth (White) Saunf, Badian Pipali / Piplamool

Operculina turpithum(L.) Silva Manso Pimpinella anisum Linn. Piper longum Linn. Polygonum multiflorum Thunb.

Root Seeds Root Whole plant

38 39 40 41 42

Anar Garden Rue White Willow, Vivir, Malchang Tukham malanga Bala

Punica granatum Linn. Ruta graveolens Linn. Salix alba Linn. Salvia aegyptiaca Linn. Sida cordifolia Linn.

Fruits Whole plant Bark Seeds Whole plant

43 44

Jhav, Jhau

Smilax officinalis Kunth. Tamarix gallica auct.non Linn.

Rhizome Fruits

Tanacetum parthenifolium(W)Sch.Bip. Trifolium pratense Linn. Uncaria tomentosa (W. ex Schult.)DC Urtica dioca Linn. Valeriana officinalis Linn.

Whole plant Flowers Fruits Whole plant Root

45 46 47 48 49

Red Clover, Trepaira Bichhu Booti, Chichru Common Valerian

Sample identified as Merremia aegyptia (L.) Urban. syn. Ipomoea pentaphylla Jacq. Ephemerantha macraei (L.) Hunt & Sum, syn. Dendrobium macraei Lindl. Citrullus colocynthis Schrad. Luffa acutangula (Linn.) Roxb. Luffa cylindrica (L.) M.J.Roem. Marsdenia tenacissima W.& A. Anethum sowa Kurz. Stem of Piper longum Linn. Persicaria glabra (Willd.)M.Gómez syn. Polygonum glabrum Willd. Rinds of Punica granatum Linn. Euphorbia dracunculoides Lam. Valeriana pyrolaefolia Decne Lallemantia royleana Benth. Ephedra gerardiana Wall. Sida alba Linn. Sida cordata (Burm.f.) Borrs. Marsdenia tennacissima W. & A. Galls of Tamarix troupii Hope syn. Tamarix gallica auct non Linn. Cotula hemisphaerica (Roxb.) Babu Carthamus tinctorius Linn. Martynia annua Linn. Borago officinalis Linn. Valeriana jatamansi Jones syn. V. wallichii DC.

Table 3 : Samples received by Trade/English name(s), identified incorrect Sl no. Sample received 1 Al 2 Anjubar

Expected vide literature Morinda citrifolia Linn. Polygonum bistorta Linn.

3

Anantamul

4 5

Asaroon Ashoka

6

Babuna

7

Bala

Amaranthus caudatus Linn. Hemidesmus indicus R.Br. Tylophora indica (Burm.f) Merrill. Syn. T. asthamatica Wight. & Arn. Asaram europaeum Linn. Saraca asoca (Roxb.) de Wide. Syn. S. indica auct. non Linn. Corchorus depressus (L.) C. Chr. Cotula anthemoides Linn. Matricaria chamomilla Linn. Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet Amomum subulatum Roxb. Barleria strigosa Wall. Hibiscus tiliaceus L. Paederia foetida L. Pavonia odorata Willd. Pavonia zeylanica (L.) Cav.

Part Leaves Whole plant Root

Sample identified as Morus alba Linn. Bistorta vivipara (L.) Delarbre syn. Polygonum viviparum Linn. Ichnocarpus frutescens R.Br.

Root Bark

Valeriana jatamansi Jones Polyalthea longifolia Thw.

Whole plant

Brassica compestris Hook.f. & Thoms.

Whole plant

Malvastrum coromandelianum Garcke Siegesbeckia orientalis L.

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8

Banafshah

Expected vide literature Part Plectranthus vettiveroides (Jacob) Singh & Sharma Sida acuta Burm.f. Sida alba L. Sida cordata (Burm.f.) Borss. Walk. Sida cordifolia L. Sida rhombifolia L sbsp. rhombifolia Sida rhombifolia L. subsp. retusa (L.) Borss. Urena lobata L. subsp. lobata Urena lobata subsp. sinuta (L.) Borss. Viola odorata Linn. Whole plant

9

Bhoomi amla Bhuiamla

Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonn. Phyllanthus fraternus Webster & Thonn.

Whole plant

10 11

Bhringraj Brahami

Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. Centella asiatica (L.) Urban

Whole plant Whole plant

12

Brahmdandi

Whole plant

13

Bridle Berry

Argemone maxicana Linn. Echinops echinata Roxb. Lamprachaenium microcephalum Benth. Tricholepis glaberrima DC. Garcinia quaesita Pierre

14

Common valerian

Valeriana officinalis L.

15 16

Chinese ginseng Chirayita

Panax schinseng Nees Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) Karsten

Root Whole plant

17

Chitrak

Plumbago zeylanica L.

Root & Stem

18 19

Gajpipali Gokhru

Scindapsus officinalis Schott. Tribulus terrestris Linn.

20 21

Gurhal Horse Chest nut

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. Aesculus indica Colebr.

22 23

Jaiphala Jalap

24 25 26 27 28 29

Kabab chini Kachura Kala Haldi Kalmegh Kamal keshar Kantkari

Myristica fragrans Houtt. Exogonium purga Benth. Syn. Ipomoea purga Hayne Operculina turpithum (L.) Silva Manso Syn. Convolvulus turpethum Linn.; Ipomoea turpethum (L.) R.Br. Piper cubeba Linn.f. Curcuma zedoaria Rocs. Curcuma caesia Roxb. Andrographis paniculata Wall. ex Nees Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. Solanum surattense Burm.f Syn. S. xanthocarpum Schrad. & Wendl.

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Indian Medicinal Plants in Trade

Fruits Roots

Fruiting spikes Fruits Flowers Seeds Seeds Root

Fruits Rhizome Rhizome Whole plant Stamens Whole plant

Sample identified as

Viola biflora Linn. Centella asiatica (L.) Urban Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. Phyllanthus rheedii Wight. Phyllanthus maderaspatensis Linn. Indigofera linifolia Ritz. Justicia gendarusa Burm f. Malva pusilla - Sm. syn. Malva rotundifolia Linn. Merremia emarginata (Burm. f.) Hallier f. syn. M. gangetica (L.) Cufo Amberboa divaricata Kuntze syn. Volutarella divericata Benth. & Hook f. Garcinia cowa Roxb. Garcinia morella (Gaertn.)Dest. Valeriana jatamansi Jones syn. V. wallichii DC Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D.Don.) Soo Andrograpis paniculata Burm. f. Wall. ex N. Swertia cordata Wall. Wood of Acacia catechu Willd. Achyranthes aspera Linn. Piper longum Linn. Xanthium strumarium Linn. Pedalium murex Linn. Rhododendron arboreum Smith. Entada pursaetha DC. syn. E. scandens auct non (L.) Benth. Croton tiglium Linn. Tiliacora acuminata Miers syn. T. racemosa Colebr.; T. acuminata Hook.f & Thoms.

Schinus molle Linn. Hedychium spicatum Buch.- Ham. Dioscorea sps. Peristrophe bicalyculata (Retz.) Nees Carthamus tinctorius Linn. Solanum indicum Lam.auct. non Linn.

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Sl no. Sample received 30 Kharenti/Khareti

31 32

Kapurkachri Kiwach/Kaunch

33

Mashaparni

34 35

Neem Netra bala

36

Nishoth (Kala)

37

Nishoth (safed)

38

Patharphori, Kumkum

39

Patalgarud

40

Pushkarmul

41

Rudravanti

42

Sadab/Sudab

43 44 45 46

Saptaparna Saptaparna Sarpgandha Shankhapushpi

Expected vide literature Sida acuta Burm.f. Side cordifolia Linn. Sida spinosa Linn. Hedychium spicatum Buch.-Ham. Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. Syn. Mucuna prurita Hook. Atylosia goensis Dalz. Syn. A. barbata Baker Teramnus labialis Spreng. Vigna dalzelliana (O. Kze.) Verdc. Syn. Phaseolus dalzelli T. Cooke Vigna mungo (Linn.) Hepper Syn. Phaseolus mungo linn. Vigna radiata (Linn.) Willczek var. sublobata (Roxb.) Verdc. Syn. Phaseolus sublobata Roxb. Vigna umbellate (Thunb.) Ohwi & Ohasi Syn. Phaseolus calcaratus Roxb. Rhyncosia nummularia (Linn.) DC. Azadirachta indica A Juss. Plectranthus vettiveroides (Jacob) Singh & Sharma Syn. Coleus vettiveroides K.C. Jacob Pavonia odorata Willd. Lettsomia atropurpurea (Wall.) C.B.Clarke Syn. Argyrea atropurpurea (Wall.) Raiz. Operculina turpethum (L.) Silva Manso Syn. Convolvulus turperthum Linn. Ipomoea turpithum (L.) R.Br. Didymocarpus pedicelata R.Br.

Cocculus hirsutus (L.) Diesl Corallocarpus epigaeus (Rottler & Willd.) Bryonia epigaea Rottler Ophiorrhiza mungos Linn. Rauvolfia serpentina Benth. ex Kurz. Inula recemosa Hook.f. Syn. Saussurea lappa C.B. Clarke Cressa cretica Linn. Euphorbia lathyrus Linn. Ruta graveolens Linn. Alstonia scholaris R. Br. Alstonia scholaris R. Br Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz. Convolvulus microphyllus Sieber. ex Spreng. Canscora decussata Schult. & Schult. F. C. diffusa R.Br. Clitoria ternatea Linn. Evolvulus alsinoides Linn. Lavendula bipinnata Kuntze L. dentata Linn.

Part Whole plant

Sample identified as Sida alba Linn.

Rhizome Seeds

Hedychium coronarium Koenig. Mucuna utilis Wall. ex Wight Mucuna cochenchinensis Cheval Rhyncosia capitata DC. syn. R. aurea DC.

Leaves Roots

Melia azedarach Linn. Cocculus suberosus DC. syn. C. indicus Royle Ipomoea aquatica Forsk.

Root

Dioscorea japonica Thunb.

Root

Marsdenia tenacissima Wight & Arn.

Whole plant

Mammea longifolia Planch. & Triana syn. Ochrocarpus longifolius Benth. & Hook.f. Aristolochia indica Linn.

Root

Root Rhizome Fruit Whole plant Leaves Bark Root Whole plant

Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch. Feronia limonia (L.) Swingle syn. F. elephantum Correa Euphorbia dracunculoides Lamk. Symplocos racemosa Roxb. Aegle marmalos Correa ex Roxb. Premna latifolia Roxb. Indigofera cordifolia Heyne Amberboa divericata Kuntze Polygonum plebeium R.Br.

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47 48

Taramira Vidara beej

49

Zufa / Zoopha

Expected vide literature Part L. stoechas Linn. Goniogyna hirta (Wild.) Ali Tephrosia purpurea Pers. Xanthium strumarium L Eruca sativa Mill Seeds Flacourtia jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch. Seeds syn. F. cataphracta Roxb. ex Willd. Opentia stricta (Haw.)Haw var. dillenii (Ker Gawl) Benson syn. O. dillenii Ker Gawl. Hyssopus officinalis Linn. Whole plant Hyssopus parviflora Benth. Nepeta ciliaris Benth.

Observations and discussions Out of 3486 crude drug samples, received for identification, 401 samples have been identified either as their allied species or mixture of the two or even altogether different plants belong to different families as given in table II and III. However, the samples of Piper longum Linn., Cichorium intybus Linn. , Foeniculum vulgare Mill., received as roots, have been found as shoots/stem of these plants. The samples received as fruits of Punica granatum Linn. and Tamarix gallica auct non Linn. have been identified as rinds of the fruits of Punica granatum Linn. and insect galls of Tamarix gallica auct non Linn. respectively. Out of the nine samples received in the name of Hypericum perforatum Linn., only one sample was found genuine Hypericum perforatum Linn., where as seven other samples have been identified as its allied species like Hypericum dyeri Rehder, Hypericum oblongifolium Choisy, H. elodeoides Choisy, H. oblongifolium Choisy , and one sample was of Reinwardtia indica Dun., altogether a different plant belonging to the family Linaceae. It is interesting to note that none of these allied species has reported to contain hypericine, the active constituent present in Hypericum perforatum Linn., (Singh, 1999). Some of the samples received in the name of Asparagus recemosus Willd. have been identified as roots of its allied species like Asparagus sarmentosus Linn., Asparagus adscendens Roxb., Asparagus gonocladus Baker, and Asparagus curillus Wall. One sample received as roots of Aconitum napellus Linn. has been identified as Aconitum chasmanthum Stapf, which is highly toxic and the skin become numbness while simply contact with it. www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Aconitum+chasmanthum A sample received as leaves of Azadirachta indica A. Juss., has been identified as leaves of Melia azedarach Linn. Though, the leaves of Melia azedarach Linn have also been used similarly as natural insecticide like the leaves of Azadirachta indica A. Juss to keep with stored food. But due to presence of a poisonous compound Tetranortriterpene neurotoxins in the leaves of Melia azedarach Linn., on consumption, shown deleterious effect on human health like stomach irritation, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, paralysis, irregular breathing, and respiratory distress. www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Meliaaz.htm 50

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Indian Medicinal Plants in Trade

Sample identified as

Lepidium sativum Linn. Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Correa

Nepeta bracteata Benth.

The seed samples received in the name of Aesculus indica Colebr, have been identified as seeds of Entada pursaetha DC., which have been reported poisonous and produce toxic symptoms like vomiting and drowsiness if consumed raw ( Chopra et al, 1958). The samples received as bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Breyn. have been identified the bark of its allied species like Cinnamomum impressinervium Miessn., Cinnamomum cassia Blume, Cinnamomum tamala Nees & Eberm. , where as the bark sample received as Salix alba Linn. was identified the bark of Valeriana pyrolaefolia Decne, which is altogether a different plant from a different family. The samples received as whole plants of Carthamus tinctorius Linn., have been identified as Verbesina enceloides (Cav.) Benth. & Hook., which is reported a potential hazard for grazing livestock and has been responsible for livestock deaths in the U.S.A. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1573558 The samples received as Anjubar, have been identified as Bistorta vivipara (L.) Delarbre, instead of the genuine drug Polygonum bistorta Linn. The plant Bistorta vivipara (L.) Delarbre is reported to aggravate the conditions of rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity if consumed by the people who are suffering from these diseases www.pfaf.org/index.php) The samples received as Brahami, supposed to be the samples of either Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. or Centella asiatiaca (L.) Urban vide literature but the samples have been identified as Malva pusilla - Sm. (Mehta et al. 1991) and Merremia emarginata (Burm.f.) Hallier f.. The drug Brahami, either Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst or Centella asiatiaca (L.) Urban, said to be used to improve intellect, however, the plants Malva pusilla - Sm. and Merremia emarginata (Burm.f.) Hallier f.. have not been reported to possesses this property, instead the plants Malva pusilla - Sm , when grown on nitrogen rich soils, tend to concentrate high levels of nitrates in their leaves, may cause deleterious effect on human health www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Malva+pusilla

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The samples received as flowers of Gurhal, supposed to be the flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn. but were identified as the

References Ambasta, SP, 1986. The Useful Plants of India. NISCAIR, (CSIR), New Delhi.

flowers of Rhododendron arboreum Smith., which have been

Anonymous, 1999-04. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, part I Vols 1-4.

reported to cause intoxication if eaten in excess (Singh, 1998). The

Anonymous, 1952-2006. The Wealth of India (Raw Materials) Vols. 1-12 plus

samples received as Shankhapushpi, the drug have been used in Indian system of medicine for improving memory, have been identified as Indigofera cordifolia Heyne, Amberboa divericata Kuntze and Polygonum plebeium R. Br. , which are the common weeds and have not been reported to improve intellect, instead the seeds of Indigofera cordifolia Heyne are harmful to the human being if they consumed alone (Singh, 2000).

supplements. NISCAIR, Anonymous, 2008. The Economic Times, New Delhi, 5thApril. Chopra, RN. And IC. Chopra, 1958. Chopra's Indigenous Drugs of India. U.N.Dhar & Sons Pvt. Ltd. Calcutta Gupta, AK., 2003-05. Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants, vols I, II & III. ICMR, New Delhi. Kareem, MA, 1997. Plants in Ayurveda: A Compendium of Botanical and Sanskrit Names. FRLHT, Bangalore Kritikar, KR and BD Basu, 2004. Indian Medicinal Plants, Vols. I-IV. (Reprint).

A sample received as kabab chini, supposed to be the fruits of Piper cubeba Linn.f. but was identified as fruits of Schinus molle Linn., which is reported to cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten in excess

Bishan Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun. Lohar DR, 2007. Protocol for Testing of Ayurvedic, Siddha & Unani Medicines. PLIM, AYUSH., New Delhi. Mehrotra, Shanta, AKS Rawat, Sayyad Khatoon and P. Pushpangadan, 2003.

(Ambasta, 1986). A sample received in the name of Kalmegh, a well

Adulteration and Substitution in Herbal Drugs- A review ( In Edts Singh,

known drug obtained from Andrographis paniculata Wall. ex Nees

V.K. J.N. Govil, Shamima Hashmi & Gurdeep Singh), Recent Progress in

used in dysentery, cholera, diabetes, influenza, bronchitis, itches and piles and also as a substitute of chirayita , Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Flem.) Karst., but the sample in question was identified as Peristrophe bicalyculata Nees, which is reported to be used as fodder and green manure only but no therapeutic properties have been given (WOI, 1966). It is interesting to note that a sample received as Jaiphal, the source of Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.), commonly used for flavouring food products and liqueurs and also cosmetics, have been identified as fruits of Croton tiglium Linn., which are drastic purgative and vesicant (Ambasta, 1986).

Medicinal Plants-Ethnomedicine and Pharmacognosy II: vol 7: 177- 191. Mehta, SP, MV Viswanathan and HB Singh, 1991. On the identity of Market sample of Brahami in Delhi. B.M.E.B.R , 12: 83 86. Nadkarni, KM, 2005. Indian Materia Medica Vols I & II . (Reprint). Bombay Popular Prakashan. Sarin,YK, 1996. Illustrated Manual of herbal drugs used in Ayurveda. CSIR & ICMR, New Delhi. Singh, HB, 1998. Identification of the market samples of flowers of Gurhal (Hibiscus rosa –sinensis Linn.). B.M.E.B.R. 19 (3-4): 135-144. Singh, HB, 1999. Identity of crude drug-Hypericum perforatum Linn. In. (Eds. B. Sasikumar, B. Krishnamurthy, J. Rema, P.N. Ravindran & K.V.Peter), Biodiversity Conservation & Utilization of Spices, Medicinal & Aromatic

Conclusion In the present study it has been observed that out of 3076 crude drug samples, received for identification, 345 samples found spurious. They have been either the allied species of the genuine one or the mixtures of the two or all together different plants belonging to different families. The medicines prepared from these

Plants. pp 296-302. Singh, HB, 2000. Need for authentication of market samples of Crude drug Shankhapushpi- convolvulus microphyllus. JMAPS.

22(4A)

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(1A) : 612 618. Singh, HB and Sandeep Kumar, 2005. Crude Drug Identification: An essential need. BMEBR, 16 (3-4) : 54-64 (Published in 2007). Singh, H.B., 2007. Management of Medicinal Plant Resources of India for

spurious drugs may not be therapeutically as effective as prepared

Sustainable Utilization. In (Eds. P.K.Shukla & O.P. Chaubey), Threatened

by genuine one because it may not have the same active ingredient.

Wild Medicinal Plants. Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.

Moreover, they may contain toxic compounds which may cause deleterious effect on human health. Therefore, to ensure quality, safety and efficacy of the herbal medicine the staring plant raw materials should be authentic and of the best quality. Herbarium specimens of medicinal plants and parts thereof should be collected

Stace, CA, 1965. A cuticular studies as an aid to plant taxonomy. Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Bot. 4 :1-74. Torkelson, AR, 1999. The Cross Name Index to Medicinal Plants. Vol. IV- plants in Indian medicine, A-Z..CRC Press, New York Ved, DK and GS Goraya, 2007. Demand and Supply of medicinal plants in India. FRLHT, Bangalore.

and maintained in a herbarium as authentic reference collections that may be used as a reference material for morphological, anatomical, Chemical, and DNA finger printing studies.

Dr. H.B. SINGH, Raw Materials Herbarium & Museum (RHMD)

Acknowledgement Author is grateful to the Director, NISCAIR for providing facilities and encouragement.

National Inst. of Science Communication & Information Resources Dr. K.S. Krishan Marg, New Delhi-110012 [email protected]

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