Like the fingerprints of an individual human being, each herb used in TCM has its own unique fingerprints, characteristics and active components.
Herb fingerprinting is an objectively verifiable procedure close to the research techniques of botanical herbs in the West and as such, is capable of building customer confidence in the quality and efficacy of TCM.
This scientific and systematic approach enables precise quantification of the ingredients and properties of Chinese Medicine, thus ensuring the stability and consistency of quality between products of different batches.
With this, we can label each of the herbs with a "chemical barcode" and create a unique quality control system for our Chinese herbs and Proprietary Chinese Medicines.
Fingerprints can be identified by a variety of analytical chemistry techniques, including Spectroscopy and Chromatography. Spectroscopy uses peak values, while Chromatography uses the integration of peak areas as the basis for identification.
Some common examples of these methods are: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), Gas Chromatography (GC), Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (LC/MS), Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS), Infrared (IR) and Ultraviolet (UV) Spectroscopy, etc.
An in-depth fingerprint analysis can be used for the following research purposes:
• Source Identification • Regional Species • Collection Period • Processing • Toxicity Identification
Fingerprinting technology enhances the manufacturing standards in the TCM industry. The application of this technology is critical to the increased dissemination of TCM producers in the international marketplace. It is also vital in the worldwide recognition of TCM products and their extensive natural benefits.