The suitability of Thin Layer Chromatography for authenticating bark medicines used in South African traditional healthcare

2003 
Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) was investigated as a potential tool with which medicinal bark products used in South African traditional healthcare may be authenticated. Dried bark products are difficult to identify, and misidentification or adulteration increasingly affect their appropriate use and accurate documentation of their trade. A traditional medical practitioner pinpointed eight bark species used in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, that are difficult to identify. These were Ekebergia capensis (Meliaceae), Harpephyllum caffrum (Anacardiaceae), Rapanea melanophloeos (Myrsinaceae), Schotia brachypetala (Caesalpiniaceae), Croton sylvaticus (Euphorbiaceae), Albizia adianthifolia , Acacia sieberiana and Acacia xanthophloea (Mimosaceae). Three reference bark samples of each species were extracted in ethanol or hexane, separated on silica gel in petroleum spirit : ethyl acetate : chloroform : formic acid (8:7:5:1), and treated with anisaldehyde or vanillin reagents. TLC proved useful for showing similarities in the phytochemical fingerprints of a single species, but less so in distinguishing between the phytochemical fingerprints of different species. The technique assisted in confirming the identity of several medicinal bark products.
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