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Misidentification remains common in selected historically substituted Traditional Chinese Medicine herbs.
No full textVarious studies have observed that some minimally processed botanicals sold for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine are adulterated or substituted with species having similar appearance and/or traditional uses. In this study, commercial samples of several plants for which aboveground parts are used, and for which Leon & Lin’s (2017) reference work reported known substitutes, were examined. All samples of Ma Chi Xian (Portulaca oleracea), Yi Mu Cao (Leonurus japonicus), Ze Lan (Lycopus lucidus), and Zi Hua De Ding (Viola philippica) were at least mostly consistent with the stated identities, though some contained contaminants. Three of nine samples of Xi Xian Cao (Sigesbeckia orientalis) were substituted with species of Lamiaceae and two others were heavily contaminated, one with Asteraceae species. Nine of 11 samples of Jin Qian Cao (Lysimachia christinae) were substituted with Desmodium styracifolium (Guan Jin Qian Cao), and a tenth was a multispecies mixture. Four of nine samples of Sang Ji Sheng (Taxillus chinensis) appeared consistent with that identity, but three contained only stems; two were substituted with probable Viscum coloratum (Hu Ji Sheng), one was a mixture of the two genera, and two contained sliced larger woody branches, one labeled Morus. Contrarily, a mixed sample sold as Hu Ji Sheng contained mostly Taxillus and little or no V. coloratum. Two samples of Xiang Ru (Mosla chinensis) were unidentifiable but were possibly contaminated with Elsholtzia, while one labeled E. cristata possibly contained Mosla. Also, two samples of a large flower, Ling Xiao Hua (Campsis), were seen, both substituted with Paulownia. Mislabeling was common for some examined herbs, and perhaps underestimated in others because products are sold in a condition that makes morphological observation of minor admixtures very difficult
Abstract Title: What is Chaga? Unique biochemistry of the sterile conk.
No full textFungal based supplements or functional mushrooms are growing in popularity worldwide. Among them, Chaga is attracting increasing attention for its broad immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Chaga is unique among “mushroom” supplements as it is technically neither a mushroom (fruiting body), nor a sclerotia, as some researchers assert, but rather a sterile conk or canker that forms on trees, infected and colonized by mycelia of the pathogenic fungus Inonotus obliquus. Commonly associated with birch (Betula spp.), I. obliquus also parasitizes other hardwood species such as alder (Alnus), beech (Fagus), and ash (Fraxinus), found in boreal forests of northern Europe, Asia and North America. The chaga canker, also known as the cinder conk or clinker polypore, appears as a coal-like mass on the trunks of the infected trees, with a dark (nearly black) outer layer, and a lighter, cinnamon-colored inner layer. Chaga is a slow growing conk, which takes 3-5 years to reach harvestable size and proceeds to develop for many years. Meanwhile, Inonotus mycelia continues to propagate and spread throughout the trunk before ultimately killing the mature 80-100 year old tree. Although the biochemistry of this enigmatic fungus is still under investigation, current evidence suggests that chaga biomass consists primarily of decaying wood fibers with small amounts of I. obliquus mycelia. The unique biology of Inonotus obliquus, its lifecycle and its relationship with the host species has profound implications for the biochemical composition and medicinal properties of this fungus. In this presentation we aim to dispel some of the common misconceptions about the chaga and highlight the unique biochemical features that distinguish it from genuine mushrooms that are widely used as nutritional supplements
Beyond the Big Lie and the Assault on Truth
No full textProfessor Bill Adair, Duke University and Politi-Fac
2025. danah boyd
No full textDr. danah boyd is a technology and social media scholar and researcher who investigates the interplay between technology, society, and policy. Her work explores the impact of bias in big data and artificial intelligence, the social implications of using data in areas such as education, criminal justice, labor, and public life. She is the founder of the Data & Society Research Institute and a distinguished visiting professor at Georgetown University. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of California-Berkeley School of Information.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/jcjai_sympos_speakers/1002/thumbnail.jp
The contribution of the European Pharmacopoeia to the quality control of herbal medicinal products
No full textThe European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) is an international regulatory document setting the standards for the quality control of medicinal products. It is elaborated by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), a body of the Council of Europe, headquartered in Strasbourg, France. It is mandatory in 39 European countries and the European Union. The Ph. Eur. establishes quality specifications for active ingredients, excipients, dosage forms, and finished products. In relation to herbal medicinal products, the upcoming 12th Edition (effective January 2026) includes: 25 general methods in pharmacognosy, 6 general monographs, 2 information chapters, and 392 individual monographs covering herbal drugs, extracts, essential oils, vegetable fatty oils, exudates, starches, and more. Herbal-related monographs account for approximately 15% of all individual monographs of the Ph. Eur. Recent key developments in the Ph. Eur. for herbal medicinal products include: • A new general analytical method for determination of contaminant pyrrolizidine alkaloids. • A general chapter on HPTLC analysis of herbal products, introducing a more detailed description of the analytical procedures, a system suitability test, intensity markers to improve the description of acceptance criteria, chromatogram images for user guidance, and the implementation of quantitative capacities of HPTLC. • The publication of the monograph on cannabis flower (January 2024), defining three types based on cannabinoid contents and specifying differentiated requirements for two application-based types. • Transitioning from spectrophotometric to HPLC assay methods for hydroxyanthracene derivatives in herbal drugs and their standardized extracts. Together with the Ph. Eur. secretariat, more than 70 experts from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies across over 20 European and non-European countries collaborate on the elaboration and revision of monographs, including experimental work, to ensure the continuous advancement and updating of quality standards for herbal medicinal products. The Ph. Eur. laboratory is responsible for establishing and maintaining the chemical reference substances (CRS) and herbal reference substances (HRS) required for the application of monographs
