A story of falsification and authentication: Authenticity control of phytopharmaceuticals and herbal remedies

Abstract

Natural remedies and phytopharmaceuticals are gaining popularity among both consumers and patients who seek a healthier and more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Healthcare professionals are also increasingly incorporating phytopharmaceuticals into therapeutic practices, recognizing their potential benefits for overall health and well-being. This trend is further driven by a growing distrust of synthetic compounds and dissatisfaction with conventional medical treatments, prompting many patients to explore natural alternatives. As a result, the demand for phytopharmaceuticals, essential oils, and nutraceuticals continues to rise steadily.

However, falsified natural remedies can pose serious risks to human health, making quality assurance a critical priority. Sophisticated and reliable analytical strategies are essential to ensure product authenticity and to protect consumers and patients from potentially harmful adulteration.

This review provides an overview of documented cases of adulteration and the corresponding countermeasures developed to detect such incidents. Commonly used analytical techniques for authenticity verification of phytopharmaceuticals, essential oils, and other natural remedies are presented. The review discusses the application of spectroscopic methods, mass spectrometry, chromatographic separation techniques, and DNA-based profiling, with reference to current scientific literature. In addition, selected chemometric tools are introduced to illustrate how meaningful information can be extracted from complex analytical data. The potential of multidimensional data analysis, combining complementary insights from various analytical platforms, is also explored. Finally, key considerations for generating and analysing reliable data are highlighted.