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      St. John’s Wort ( Hypericum perforatum) Products – How Variable Is the Primary Material?

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          Abstract

          Background: Saint John’s wort ( Hypericum perforatum L., HP) is commonly registered in Europe under the THR scheme (Traditional Herbal Registration) or licensed as a medicine. Nonetheless unregulated medical products and food supplements are accessible through the internet which are often of poor quality. The species’ natural distribution stretches through large regions of Europe to China and four subspecies have been distinguished. When compared to the European Pharmacopoeia reference, the presence of additional compounds was linked to so-called Chinese HP.

          Aim: In order to obtain an integrated picture of the entire chemoprofile, the chemical composition of HP materia prima was studied using a combination of techniques well-established in the relevant industries. The impact of phytogeographic factors on the materia prima can shed light on whether the variability of the final products is strongly influenced by these factors of whether they relate to poor processing, adulteration, or other factors linked to the processing of the material.

          Methods: Eighty-six Hypericum samples (77 H. perforatum) were collected from 14 countries. Most were authenticated and harvested in the wild; others came as roughly ground material from commercial cultivations, markets and pharmacies. The samples were analyzed using HPTLC and 1H-NMR-based principal component analysis (PCA).

          Results and Discussion: Limited chemical variability was found. Nonetheless, the typical fingerprint of Chinese HP was observed in each specimen from China. Additional compounds were also detected in some samples collected in Spain. Rutin is not necessarily present in the crude material. The variability previously found in the marketed products can be ascribed only partially to the geographical origin of harvested material, but mainly to the plant part harvested, closely related to harvesting techniques, processing and probably time of harvest.

          Conclusion: HP can be sourced in a consistent composition (and thus quality) from different geographical sources. However, chemical variability needs to be accounted for when evaluating what is considered authentic good material. Therefore, the processing and good practice are all stages of primary importance, calling for a better (self-)regulation and quality assurance along the value chain of an herbal medical product or botanical.

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          Most cited references15

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          Understanding apomixis: recent advances and remaining conundrums.

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            A systematic review of St. John’s wort for major depressive disorder

            Background This systematic review evaluated St. John’s wort (SJW) for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The objectives of this review are to (1) evaluate the efficacy and safety of SJW in adults with MDD compared to placebo and active comparator and (2) evaluate whether the effects vary by severity of MDD. Methods We searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, Embase, AMED, MANTIS, Web of Science, and ICTRP and existing reviews to November 2014. Two independent reviewers screened the citations, abstracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effect of at least a 4-week administration of SJW on depression outcomes against placebo or active comparator in adults with MDD. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and USPSTF criteria. Quality of evidence (QoE) was assessed using the GRADE approach. Results Thirty-five studies examining 6993 patients met inclusion criteria; eight studies evaluated a hypericum extract that combined 0.3 % hypericin and 1–4 % hyperforin. The herb SJW was associated with more treatment responders than placebo (relative risk [RR] 1.53; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.19, 1.97; I2 79 %; 18 RCTs; N = 2922, moderate QoE; standardized mean differences [SMD] 0.49; CI 0.23, 0.74; 16 RCTs; I2 89 %, N = 2888, moderate QoE). Compared to antidepressants, SJW participants were less likely to experience adverse events (OR 0.67; CI 0.56, 0.81; 11 RCTs; moderate QoE) with no difference in treatment effectiveness (RR 1.01; CI 0.90, 1.14; 17 RCTs, I2 52 %, moderate QoE; SMD −0.03; CI −0.21, 0.15; 14 RCTs; I2 74 %; N = 2248, moderate QoE) in mild and moderate depression. Conclusions SJW monotherapy for mild and moderate depression is superior to placebo in improving depression symptoms and not significantly different from antidepressant medication. However, evidence of heterogeneity and a lack of research on severe depression reduce the quality of the evidence. Adverse events reported in RCTs were comparable to placebo and fewer compared with antidepressants. However, assessments were limited due to poor reporting of adverse events and studies were not designed to assess rare events. Consequently, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42015016406. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0325-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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              The authenticity and quality of Rhodiola rosea products.

              Rhodiola rosea L. Crassulaceae, root (Golden Root, Arctic Root) is a high-value herbal medicinal product, registered in the UK for the treatment of stress-induced fatigue, exhaustion and anxiety based on traditional use and used throughout Europe as a herbal medicinal product for similar indications. Numerous unregistered supplements are also available. There are several Chinese species used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including Rhodiola crenulata (Hook.f. & Thomoson) that is believed to be a common adulterant in the R. rosea value chain.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                Front Plant Sci
                Front Plant Sci
                Front. Plant Sci.
                Frontiers in Plant Science
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                1664-462X
                24 January 2019
                2018
                : 9
                : 1973
                Affiliations
                [1] 1Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy Group, Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, UCL School of Pharmacy , London, United Kingdom
                [2] 2Division of Herbal and East Asian Medicine, Department of Life Sciences, University of Westminster , London, United Kingdom
                Author notes

                Edited by: Jiang Xu, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China

                Reviewed by: Adolfo Andrade-Cetto, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico; Liselotte Krenn, Universität Wien, Austria

                *Correspondence: Michael Heinrich, m.heinrich@ 123456ucl.ac.uk

                This article was submitted to Technical Advances in Plant Science, a section of the journal Frontiers in Plant Science

                Article
                10.3389/fpls.2018.01973
                6357942
                e75c8cd1-7376-4331-bfe3-f9d7d210925f
                Copyright © 2019 Scotti, Löbel, Booker and Heinrich.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 16 July 2018
                : 19 December 2018
                Page count
                Figures: 11, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 19, Pages: 12, Words: 0
                Categories
                Plant Science
                Original Research

                Plant science & Botany
                avicularin/guaiaverin,hypericum perforatum (saint john’s wort, sjw),materia prima,natural variability,quality control,subspecies boundaries,value chains

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