Anything that is hard to get or expensive is likely to be counterfeited, and herbal or alternative therapies are not exempt.
A material that is likely to be counterfeited:
(1) expensive
(2) hard to find, in limited supply
(3) collection or trade illegal or restricted (like rhinoceros horn)
Without quantitative methods it may be difficult to detect:
(1) substitution of a plant from one region for a plant from another region
(2) dilution
Detection may be achieved with a number of methods such as:
(1) DNA microarrays, which allows identification of the fingerprint or barcode of a plant
(2) NMR spectroscopy
(3) isotope analysis may help to identify region of origin
A person who engages in one kind of fraud may engage in others, such as product adulteration.
To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.
Specialty: Pharmacology, clinical