The nonprofit American Herbal Pharmacopoeia on Feb 9 sent a extensively detailed communication to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman with technical data that underscores that DNA barcoding is not a scientifically valid technology for determining the identity of botanical extracts in many dietary supplements. The 4-page AHP letter and 54-page addendum also provides widely recognized standard testing methodologies citing monographs of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), European Pharmacopoeia (EP), and United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

The 54-page addendum includes national and international monographs for each of the seven herbal dietary supplements recently tested for the New York AG, highlighting the appropriate characteristics of each plant and extract. The communication acknowledged that adulteration of those products may exist in the marketplace but that the analytical technology used by Clarkson University for the AG likely did not accurately and adequately prove this.

The full AHP communication and the addendum monograph material can be accessed here.