Guideline of molecular identification of traditional Chinese medicine—part 3: seed and seedling of Chinese medicinal materials

Due to the influence of growing environment, developmental stage, and external conditions, seeds and seedlings of the same species may exhibit significant morphologic variations, limiting the accuracy of traditional identification methods in verifying variety authenticity and identity. Molecular identification of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers high accuracy and good reproducibility, and it is not restricted by sample morphology. This technology has already been widely used in pharmaceutical inspection departments, enterprises, and research institutions. Although the “Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China” has adopted 4 TCM molecular identification standards, there is still a lack of unified general rules for TCM molecular identification, as well as standards that meet multilevel identification needs and cover a wider range of varieties. In December 2016, the China Association of Chinese Medicine approved and released the “Molecular identification of traditional Chinese medicine—part 3: Seed and seedling of Chinese medicinal materials” (T/CACM 010.3—2016), which specifies general methods and requirements for molecular identification of Chinese herbal medicine seeds and seedlings. This standard establishes unified general rules for TCM molecular identification, promoting standardized development in this field. It provides guidance for the use of molecular identification techniques for Chinese herbal medicine seeds and seedlings, meets multilevel identification needs within the TCM industry, and ensures quality control of TCM products, thus playing a significant role in advancing the modernization and standardization of TCM.