DNA barcodes for the identification of Anoectochilus roxburghii and its adulterants

Anoectochiluszhongshanensis (Orchidaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China

A new species of Anoectochilus (Orchidaceae) from Guangxi, China, A.zhongshanensis, is described here, which was identified based on phylogenetic studies adopting combined plastid markers (rbcL-matK-trnL-F), morphological observation and chemical analysis. Molecular phylogenetic results support the systematic status of A.zhongshanensis as a new species in Anoectochilus genus. Morphologically, this new species is similar to A.zhejiangensis and A.malipoensis, but differs by its characteristic labellum and column, including the hastate or scalpel-shaped lobes of epichile, forward curved and pinnately divided cristate lobes at both sides of the mesochile and inverted triangle column wings. Furthermore, HPLC-ELSD analysis of these three species revealed the interesting chemotaxonomic difference that the principle and characteristic lactone glycoside in this new species was kinsenoside, rather than its diastereoisomer, goodyeroside A, a major glycoside in A.zhejiangensis and A.malipoensis.

Image classification of Chinese medicinal flowers based on convolutional neural network

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Traditional Chinese medicine has used many herbs on the prevention and treatment of diseases for thousands of years. However, many flowers are poisonous and only few herbs have medicinal properties. Relying on experts for herbs identification is time consuming. An efficient and fast identification method is proposed in this study.

METHODS

This study proposes ResNet101 models by combining SENet and ResNet101, adding convolutional block attention module or using Bayesian optimization on Chinese medicinal flower classification. The performances of the proposed ResNet101 models were compared.

RESULTS

The best performance for accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score and PR-AUC are coming from ResNet101 model with Bayesian optimization which are 97.64%, 97.99%, 97.86%, 97.82% and 99.72%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed ResNet101 model provides a better solution on the image classification of Chinese medical flowers with favourable accuracy.

Biotechnological Advances in Pharmacognosy and In Vitro Manipulation of Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb

Trees are vital resources for economic, environmental, and industrial growth, supporting human life directly or indirectly through a wide variety of therapeutic compounds, commodities, and ecological services. Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb. (Fabaceae) is one of the most valuable multipurpose forest trees in India and Sri Lanka, as it is cultivated for quality wood as well as pharmaceutically bioactive compounds, especially from the stem bark and heartwood. However, propagation of the tree in natural conditions is difficult due to the low percentage of seed germination coupled with overexploitation of this species for its excellent multipurpose properties. This overexploitation has ultimately led to the inclusion of P. marsupium on the list of endangered plant species. However, recent developments in plant biotechnology may offer a solution to the overuse of such valuable species if such advances are accompanied by technology transfer in the developing world. Specifically, techniques in micropropagation, genetic manipulation, DNA barcoding, drug extraction, delivery, and targeting as well as standardization, are of substantial concern. To date, there are no comprehensive and detailed reviews of P. marsupium in terms of biotechnological research developments, specifically pharmacognosy, pharmacology, tissue culture, authentication of genuine species, and basic gene transfer studies. Thus, the present review attempts to present a comprehensive overview of the biotechnological studies centered on this species and some of the recent novel approaches for its genetic improvement.

A Review on Application of DNA Barcoding Technology for Rapid Molecular Diagnostics of Adulterants in Herbal Medicine

The rapid molecular diagnostics of adulterants in herbal medicine using DNA barcoding forms the core of this meticulously detailed review, based on two decades of data. With 80% of the world's population using some form of herbal medicine, authentication, quality control, and detection of adulterants warrant DNA barcoding. A combined group of keywords were used for literature review using the PubMed, the ISI Web of Knowledge, Web of Science (WoS), and Google Scholar databases. All the papers (N = 210) returned by the search engines were downloaded and systematically analyzed. Detailed analysis of conventional DNA barcodes were based on retrieved sequences for internal transcribed spacer (ITS) (412,189), rbcL (251,598), matK (210,835), and trnH-psbA (141,846). The utility of databases such as The Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), NCBI, GenBank, and Medicinal Materials DNA Barcode Database (MMDBD) has been critically examined for the identification of unknown species from known databases. The current review gives an overview of the ratio of adulterated to authentic drugs for some countries along with the state of the art technology currently being used in the identification of adulterated medicines. In this review, efforts were made to systematically analyze and arrange the research and reviews on the basis of technical progress. The review concludes with the future of DNA-based herbal medicine adulteration detection, forecasting the reliance on the metabarcoding technology. DNA barcoding technology for differentiating adulterated herbal medicine.

Rapid detection and quantification of adulteration in Chinese hawthorn fruits powder by near-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics

The aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of detection and quantification of two cheap adulterants (maltodextrin and starch) in Chinese functional food, hawthorn fruits powder (HFP), by using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics methods. The partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were developed to discriminate the adulterated HFP from the authentic HFP, while the partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were employed to determine the contents of adulterants. In order to yield the best results, various spectra pretreatment methods and wavelength selection methods were carefully investigated. The models' qualities were assessed by the self-consistency test, the independent test and the rigorous leave-one-out cross-validation test. The metrics for the PLS-DA discriminative model included error rate, true positive rate, true negative rate and F1 score, while the metrics for the PLSR quantitative model were determination coefficient, root mean square error and residual prediction deviation. Finally, very satisfying results were obtained, which indicate that our method is quite robust and applicable, and thus has great potential for rapid detection of adulteration in powder of many other herbal plants or functional foods.

Improved 1D convolutional neural network adapted to near-infrared spectroscopy for rapid discrimination of Anoectochilus roxburghii and its counterfeits

Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl. (Orchidaceae) is a rare traditional Chinese medicine. For seeking high profit, some traditional Chinese medicine sellers usually adulterated A. roxburghii with Goodyera Schlechtendaliana and Ludisia discolor or directly fake A. roxburghii using Anoectochilus formosanus. These counterfeits with similar appearance greatly influence the prescription efficacy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an effective and fast authentication method to identify A. roxburghii and its counterfeits. In this paper, the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) data of A. roxburghii and its counterfeits are mearsured. Then, an improved inception architecture based 1-dimensional convolutional neural network (Improved 1D-Inception-CNN) is designed for processing the NIRS data and identifying A. roxburghii and its counterfeits. The Improved 1D-Inception-CNN has less parameters and high calculation efficiency which makes the identification model more practical. The experimental results show that compared with traditional structured CNN models, the complexity of the Improved 1D-Inception-CNN is reduced by 40 %, the parameters are reduced by 50 % and the performances are improved by 1.01 %. Therefore, the Improved 1D-Inception-CNN model based on NIRS technology can effectively and quickly identify A. roxburghii and its counterfeits.

A Review of the Discriminant Analysis Methods for Food Quality Based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Pattern Recognition

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with pattern recognition technique has become an important type of non-destructive discriminant method. This review first introduces the basic structure of the qualitative analysis process based on near-infrared spectroscopy. Then, the main pretreatment methods of NIRS data processing are investigated. Principles and recent developments of traditional pattern recognition methods based on NIRS are introduced, including some shallow learning machines and clustering analysis methods. Moreover, the newly developed deep learning methods and their applications of food quality analysis are surveyed, including convolutional neural network (CNN), one-dimensional CNN, and two-dimensional CNN. Finally, several applications of these pattern recognition techniques based on NIRS are compared. The deficiencies of the existing pattern recognition methods and future research directions are also reviewed.

Detecting kinsenoside from Anoectochilus roxburghii by HPLC-ELSD with dual columns of NH2 and AQ-C18

INTRODUCTION

Kinsenoside is a characteristic component of Anoectochilus roxburghii and accounts for this herb's medicinal and edible values. No international certified standard method is available for kinsenoside analysis as well as extraction and preservation.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a more accurate analytical method of kinsenoside. The effects of extraction and drying methods of A. roxburghii on kinsenoside efficiency were investigated for the first time, as well as to examine the kinsenoside stability.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The amino (NH₂ ) and AQ-C₁₈ columns for detecting kinsenoside extract was systematically compared by high-performance liquid chromatography evaporative light-scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) and HPLC-diode-array detector (DAD), respectively. Kinsenoside, its epimer goodyeroside A and the degradation product during preservation were identified through HPLC-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS).

RESULTS

An accurate method of kinsenoside detection by HPLC-ELSD with dual columns of NH₂ and AQ-C₁₈ was established. The ratio of C_{goodyeroside A} to C_kinsenoside (Y) was determined using the AQ-C₁₈ column method. The concentration detected by the NH₂ column was multiplied by 1/(1 + Y) as the corrected result. Using this novel method, the average deviations were reduced by 7.64%. Moreover, the efficiency of kinsenoside extraction with water was almost twice that of extraction with ethanol. Freeze drying also led to a higher extraction efficiency (38.47% increase) than hot-air drying did. Furthermore, the degradation of kinsenoside extract exceeded 70% when stored at 37 °C for 3 months.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a reliable experimental method and theoretical basis for the quality control of kinsenoside from A. roxburghii, as well as other glycosides.

LED Lights Promote Growth and Flavonoid Accumulation of Anoectochilus roxburghii and Are Linked to the Enhanced Expression of Several Related Genes

Anoectochilus roxburghii is a wild edible species and has been traditionally used for a wide range of diseases in many countries. Our research aims to find the optimal light-emitting diode (LED) lighting conditions to improve the growth and development of A. roxburghii seedling at the acclimation stage. Two-month-old explants were cultured under the various lighting conditions including red (R), blue (B), BR (one blue: four red), BRW151 (one blue: five red: one white), BRW142 (one blue: four red: two white), and fluorescent lamp (FL). The results showed that the lighting conditions not only affect the growth and morphology of plants but also the accumulation of total flavonoids. Single wavelengths (B or R LED) inhibited the growth and secondary biosynthesis of A. roxburghii, while the BR LED showed an enhancement in both growth and biomass accumulation. A. roxburghii plants were grown under BR LED light has average plant height (7.18 cm), stem diameter (17.6mm), number of leaves (5.78 leaves/tree), leaf area (4.67 cm²), fresh weight (0.459 g/tree), dry matter percentages (11.69%), and total flavonoid (1.811 mg/g FW) is considered to be superior to FL lamps and other LEDs in the experiment. This indicates that both blue and red wavelengths are required for the normal growth of A. roxburghii. To learn more about how light affects flavonoid biosynthesis, we evaluated the expression of genes involved in this process (pal, chs, chi, and fls) and found that BR LED light enhances the expression level of chi and fls genes compared to fluorescent lamps (1.18 and 1.21 times, respectively), leading to an increase in the flavonoid content of plant. Therefore, applying BR LED during in vitro propagation of A. roxburghii could be a feasible way to improve the medicinal value of this plant.

Application of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences for identifying Anoectochilus setaceus Blume in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam

Background. The term “DNA barcode” is used extensively in molecular taxonomy. Basically, this technique is based on the use of a DNA sequence (about 400–800 bp) as a standard to identify and determine the species relation of organisms quickly and accurately. Therefore, DNA barcodes not only help taxonomists in classifying and identifying species, but also improve their ability to control, understand and utilize biodiversity. In this study, the authors conducted identification of samples of Anoectochilus setaceus Blume collected in Thanh Hoa through the isolated sequence of ITS gene regions.

Materials and methods. Total DNA was extracted from young leaves of A. setaceus samples using CTAB method. The ITS gene segment was amplified by PCR and sequenced. This genetic sequence was analyzed, compared and used to establish a phylogenetic tree using BioEdit, BLAST and DNASTAR programs.

Results and conclusion. We isolated 4 sequences of the ITS gene region in 4 A. setaceus samples collected at Xuan Lien and Pu Luong of Thanh Hoa province; the ITS gene region was 667 nucleotide long. The findings identified the samples as the same species and showed 99% similarity to the ITS gene sequence of A. roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl. published in GenBank, GQ328774. This study also demonstrates that the method employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences is an effective tool to identify A. setaceus taxa.

DNA barcodes for the identification of Stephania (Menispermaceae) species

Stephania is a medicinal plants-rich genus of Menispermaceae. However, the identification of morphologically-similar species in Stephania is difficult using the currently reported methods. The indiscriminate overexploitation of Stephania plants has resulted in clinical misuse and endangerment of many species, which necessitates the development of an efficient and reliable method for species authentication. Therefore, six candidate DNA barcode sequences (ITS, ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK, rbcL, and trnL-F) were tested for their capacity to identify Stephania species. The barcodes were analyzed either as a single region or in combination by tree-based [neighbor-joining (NJ) and Bayesian inference (BI)], distance-based (PWG-distance), and sequence similarity-based (TaxonDNA) methods. Amplification and sequencing success rates were 100% for all six candidate barcodes. A comparison of six barcode regions showed that ITS exhibited the highest number of variable and informative sites (182/179), followed by psbA-trnH (173/162). DNA barcoding gap assessment showed that interspecific distances of the six barcodes were greater than intraspecific distances. The identification results showed that species discrimination rates of combination barcodes were higher than those of single-region barcodes. Based on best match and best close match methods, the ITS+psbA-trnH combination exhibited the highest discrimination power (93.93%). Further, all Stephania species could be resolved in the phylogenetic trees based on ITS+psbA-trnH (NJ, BI). This study demonstrates that DNA barcoding is an efficient method to identify Stephania species and recommends that the ITS+psbA-trnH combination is the best DNA barcode for the identification of Stephania species.

The newly developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for a potentially medicinal plant, Crepidiastrum denticulatum (Asteraceae), inferred from complete chloroplast genome data

Medicinal effects of Crepidiastrum denticulatum have been previously reported. However, the genomic resources of this species and its applications have not been studied. In this study, based on the next generation sequencing method (Miseq sequencing system), we characterize the chloroplast genome of C. denticulatum which contains a large single copy (84,112 bp) and a small single copy (18,519 bp), separated by two inverted repeat regions (25,074 bp). This genome consists of 80 protein-coding gene, 30 tRNAs, and four rRNAs. Notably, the trnT_GGU is pseudogenized because of a small insertion within the coding region. Comparative genomic analysis reveals a high similarity among Asteraceae taxa. However, the junctions between LSC, SSC, and IRs locate in different positions within rps19 and ycf1 among examined species. Also, we describe a newly developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker for C. denticulatum based on amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS) technique. The markers, inferred from SNP in rbcL and matK genes, show effectiveness to recognize C. denticulatum from other related taxa through simple PCR protocol. The chloroplast genome-based molecular markers are effective to distinguish a potentially medicinal species, C. denticulatum, from other related taxa. Additionally, the complete chloroplast genome of C. denticulatum provides initial genomic data for further studies on phylogenomics, population genetics, and evolutionary history of Crepidiastrum as well as other taxa in Asteraceae.

Rapid detection of adulteration in Anoectochilus roxburghii by near-infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometric methods

To determine the authenticity of Anoectochilus roxburghii, this study presents an application of near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometric methods for evaluating adulteration of A. roxburghii with two cheaper adulterants, i.e. C. Goodyera schlechtendaliana and Ludisia discolor. Partial least squares discriminant analysis models were built for the accurate classification of authentic A. roxburghii and A. roxburghii adulterated at 5-100% (w/w) levels. Partial least squares regression models were used to predict the level of adulteration in the A. roxburghii. After by compared different spectral pretreatment methods, and using interval PLS and synergy interval PLS for variable selection, optimum models were developed. These results show that the NIR spectroscopy combined with chemometric methods offers a simple, fast, and reliable method for classifying and quantifying the adulteration of A. roxburghii.

DNA barcoding for the efficient and accurate identification of medicinal polygonati rhizoma in China

Polygonati rhizoma (PR), a traditional medicinal and edible product with various bioactive components (Polygonatum polysaccharides, saponins, phenols, and flavonoids), is widely consumed in China. However, other species with morphological characteristics similar to those of the actual components are being used to replace or adulterate PR, causing issues with quality control and product safety. The morphological similarity of PR and its substitutes makes classic morphological identification challenging. To address this issue, DNA barcoding-based identification using ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences was applied in this study to evaluate the efficiency and accuracy of this approach in identifying PR samples collected from 39 different regions in China. The identification of PR by this method was confirmed by other methods (phylogeny-based and character-based methods), and all the samples were clearly and accurately distinguished. This study highlights the efficient and accurate nature of DNA barcoding in PR identification. Applying this technique will provide a means to differentiate PR from other altered formulations, thus improving product quality and safety for consumers of PR and its products.

Identifying the Species of Seeds in Traditional Chinese Medicine Using DNA Barcoding

Seed is not only the main reproductive organ of most of herbal plants but also an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Seed TCMs possess important medicinal properties and have been widely used as components of pharmaceutical products. In parallel with the increasing popularity and accessibility of seeds as medicinal products in recent years, numerous substitutes and adulterants have also appeared on the market. Due to the small volume and similar appearances of many seed TCMs, they are very difficult to accurately identify the constituent plant species through organoleptic methods. Usage of the wrong herb may be ineffective or may worsen the condition and even cause death. Correct identification of seed herbal medicines is therefore essential for their safe use. Here, we acquired 177 ITS2 sequences and 15 psbA-trnH sequences from 51 kinds of seed TCMs belonging to 64 species that have been described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Tree-building analysis showed that the ITS2 sequences of 48 seed TCMs can be differentiated from each other, and they formed distinct, non-overlapping groups in the maximum-likelihood tree. Furthermore, all of the sequences acquired in this study have been submitted to the public DNA barcoding system for herbal medicine, and this integrated database was used to identify 400 seed TCM samples purchased from medicinal markets, drug stores, and the Internet, enabling the identification of 7.5% of the samples as containing non-declared species. This study provides a brief operating procedure for the identification of seed TCMs found in herbal medicine. In the future, researchers and traditional herbal medicine enterprises can use this system to test their herbal materials.

DNA Barcode Authentication and Library Development for the Wood of Six Commercial Pterocarpus Species: the Critical Role of Xylarium Specimens

DNA barcoding has been proposed as a useful tool for forensic wood identification and development of a reliable DNA reference library is an essential first step. Xylaria (wood collections) are potentially enormous data repositories if DNA information could be extracted from wood specimens. In this study, 31 xylarium wood specimens and 8 leaf specimens of six important commercial species of Pterocarpus were selected to investigate the reliability of DNA barcodes for authentication at the species level and to determine the feasibility of building wood DNA barcode reference libraries from xylarium specimens. Four DNA barcodes (ITS2, matK, ndhF-rpl32 and rbcL) and their combination were tested to evaluate their discrimination ability for Pterocarpus species with both TaxonDNA and tree-based analytical methods. The results indicated that the combination barcode of matK + ndhF-rpl32 + ITS2 yielded the best discrimination for the Pterocarpus species studied. The mini-barcode ndhF-rpl32 (167-173 bps) performed well distinguishing P. santalinus from its wood anatomically inseparable species P. tinctorius. Results from this study verified not only the feasibility of building DNA barcode libraries using xylarium wood specimens, but the importance of using wood rather than leaves as the source tissue, when wood is the botanical material to be identified.

DNA barcoding of vouchered xylarium wood specimens of nine endangered Dalbergia species

ITS2+ trnH - psbA was the best combination of DNA barcode to resolve the Dalbergia wood species studied. We demonstrate the feasibility of building a DNA barcode reference database using xylarium wood specimens. The increase in illegal logging and timber trade of CITES-listed tropical species necessitates the development of unambiguous identification methods at the species level. For these methods to be fully functional and deployable for law enforcement, they must work using wood or wood products. DNA barcoding of wood has been promoted as a promising tool for species identification; however, the main barrier to extensive application of DNA barcoding to wood is the lack of a comprehensive and reliable DNA reference library of barcodes from wood. In this study, xylarium wood specimens of nine Dalbergia species were selected from the Wood Collection of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and DNA was then extracted from them for further PCR amplification of eight potential DNA barcode sequences (ITS2, matK, trnL, trnH-psbA, trnV-trnM1, trnV-trnM2, trnC-petN, and trnS-trnG). The barcodes were tested singly and in combination for species-level discrimination ability by tree-based [neighbor-joining (NJ)] and distance-based (TaxonDNA) methods. We found that the discrimination ability of DNA barcodes in combination was higher than any single DNA marker among the Dalbergia species studied, with the best two-marker combination of ITS2+trnH-psbA analyzed with NJ trees performing the best (100% accuracy). These barcodes are relatively short regions (<350 bp) and amplification reactions were performed with high success (≥90%) using wood as the source material, a necessary factor to apply DNA barcoding to timber trade. The present results demonstrate the feasibility of using vouchered xylarium specimens to build DNA barcoding reference databases.

Simultaneous Extraction and Identification of Phenolic Compounds in Anoectochilus roxburghii Using Microwave-Assisted Extraction Combined with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and Their Antioxidant Activities

This study used MAE and RSM to extract phenolic compounds from Anoectochilus roxburghii, and the optimum conditions defined by the model to give an optimum yield of 1.31%. The antioxidant activity in vitro showed when the concentration of phenolic compounds was reached 1 mg mL^-1, the clearance rates were 82.58% for DPPH and 97.62% for ABTS⁺. In vivo antioxidant experiments used D-galactose to build oxidative damage in healthy Kunming mice. The result showed that the extractions of A. roxburghii can improve the antioxidant ability and the medium and low dose groups had better ability to scavenge free radicals. The UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was developed to identify 21 kinds of phenolic compounds by molecular mass, ms/ms fragmentation, as well as retention time. The result showed that the phenolic compounds of A. roxburghii had significant potential as a natural antioxidant to promote health and to reduce the risk of disease.

Effects of Light Quality on Morphology, Enzyme Activities, and Bioactive Compound Contents in Anoectochilus roxburghii

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of light quality on the morphological traits, leaf anatomical characteristics, antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) activities, photosynthetic pigments content, and bioactive compounds (phenols, flavonoids, and polysaccharides) content in Anoectochilus roxburghii. Plants of A. roxburghii were grown under light filtered through four differently colored films for 8 months. The four treatments were red film (RF), blue film (BF), yellow film (YF), and colorless plastic film (control, CK). Compared with the A. roxburghii plants in CK, those in the BF treatment showed significantly greater stem diameter, fresh weight, leaf area, stomatal frequency, chlorophyll content (Chl a, Chl b, Chl a+b), antioxidant enzyme activities, and active compound (polysaccharides, flavones) content. The plants in the RF treatment showed the greatest plant height and phenolics contents. These results show that growing A. roxburghii plants under blue film is a useful technique to improve quality. This technique is conducive to achieving large-scale sustainable production of high-quality plant materials.

Rapid Identification of Officinal Akebiae Caulis and Its Toxic Adulterant Aristolochiae Manshuriensis Caulis (Aristolochia manshuriensis) by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Mu-tong (Akebiae Caulis) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used as a diuretic and antiphlogistic. A common adulterant of Mu-tong is Guan-mu-tong (Aristolochiae Manshuriensis Caulis), which is derived from the stem of Aristolochia manshuriensis Komarov, and contains carcinogenic aristolochic acids. We used an alternative technique, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), to differentiate Mu-tong from Guan-mu-tong because LAMP is quick, highly sensitive, and specific. We designed a set of four common primers (G-F3, G-B3, G-FIP, and G-BIP) and a loop primer (G-LB) for LAMP based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 sequence of Ar. manshuriensis. We successfully amplified the LAMP assays and visual detection occurred within 60 min at isothermal conditions of 65°C. The LAMP reaction exhibited a tenfold increase in detection (4.22 pg/μl DNA) over conventional polymerase chain reaction demonstrating that LAMP is a useful technique to detect Guan-mu-tong. We conclude that the LAMP technique is a potentially valuable safety control method for simple and efficient discrimination of Mu-tong from its adulterant Guan-mu-tong.