AHPA Teaches Microscopic Botanical Identification

SILVER SPRING, Md.The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)s recent two-day, educational training program helped participants identify botanical ingredients on a microscopic level, which will help them maintain compliance with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) rule for dietary supplements (21 CFR 111).  In conjunction with the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, AHPAs program titled "Microscopic Identification of Popular Botanical Materials" taught basic microscopy skills within the context of herbal supplement ingredient identification. 

FDAs cGMP rule for dietary supplements requires manufacturers to conduct identity testing of each dietary ingredient prior to using it in products or formulas. Therefore, the course familiarized participants with various plant parts at the microscopic level. The instructor, Elan Mikel Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Pharmaceuticals, guided participants through several levels of magnification to create an understanding of the characteristic cellular features of each plant part examined using botanical microscopy techniques developed over the last century by botanists all over the world.

Information was presented in morphological groups such as barks, roots, leaves and seeds, and their characteristic microscopic components. The basic structure of the various tissue types was discussed and identified using examples from a vast database of microscopic botanical images.

"Educational projects such as this one are essential to spreading interest in botanical microscopy," Sudberg said. "The students were highly motivated, and it was exciting to introduce them to the principles of this discipline, which will be in high demand as the herbal supplements industry continues to grow."   

Dr. Roger A. Clemens, associate director of the Regulatory Science program at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, added, "We were proud to host this event. A broader understanding of the principles of ingredient identification is essential to ensuring the continued viability of herbs and herb-derived components in foods and dietary supplements."