AHPA Adds Japanese Star Anise to List of Adulterants

SILVER SPRING, Md.The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) identified Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) as a known adulterant in an update to its "Guidance on Known Adulterants," part of its Botanical Authentication Program. In its update, AHPA also added star anise (Illicium verum) fruit, but its board of trustees noted it wanted to help industry confirm the identity of Illicium verum as differentiated from Illicium anisatum, at its most-recent meeting.

"With this latest listing of star anise, AHPA expands its 14-year leadership in the area of identifying adulterants and creating standards for ingredient authentication under the AHPA Botanical Authentication Program," said Michael McGuffin, AHPA president. "With the active participation and input from our membership and the in-depth work of three AHPA committees, we will continue to expand the knowledge base around these most important concerns for the trade."

The Nov. 4 update  also noted AHPA offers analytical techniques to differentiate between authentic and inauthentic hoodia. With recent FTC action in this area, AHPA said it has made available on its website since 2007 microscopic, high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) and high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) to identify hoodia.

Created in 1997, AHPA's "Guidance on Known Adulterants" identifies herbs and potential adulterants that are known to be in trade. The list identifies safety related substitutions, such as Digitalis lanata leaf for plantain leaf (Plantago lanceolata), and safety and economic-based substitutions, such as red dye #2 (amaranth dye) for bilberry fruit extract. The current list of articles of trade and their known adulterants is available on the AHPA website.

Under its Botanical Authentication Program, AHPA developed methods of ingredient identification and analysis for four botanicals, a toxic constituent, and a supplement ingredient, including aristolochic acid, bilberry fruit extract, black cohosh (Actaea racemosa syn. Cimicifuga racemosa) root /rhizome, eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) root, Hoodia gordonii stem and glycerin .