1. Macroscopic/Organoleptic: The unaided senses of sight, smell or taste.
Included here, however, would be use of a hand lens with 4-20x magnification for visual identification. These methods are typically used for an herb or botanical ingredient in whole or uncut form.

a. Analysis is based on attributes such as:
(1) Defined morphological and/or anatomical characteristics of the whole plant or individual plant parts (e.g., leaf, flower, fruit, seed, root and rhizome, bark) and
(2) Characteristic color, fracture, smell, or taste.

b. Identification is achieved by positive comparison of morphological characteristics with authenticated or in-house plant reference material or an authoritative technical reference description or test that can assure the identity of the botanical ingredient.

c. Herbs and plant parts that have been cut or ground to the point where morphological characteristics are no longer observable to the unaided eye are best analyzed by microscopic and/or chemical means.

d. Observations:
(1) It is possible that processing variables may promote some difference in taste or colors of herbal raw materials, thus confounding proper and positive identification by macroscopic or organoleptic techniques.

(2) It is possible that reliance on taxonomic or botanical characters including macroscopic, anatomical, and organoleptic characteristics alone may not confirm identity and may not detect adulterants unless the tests are sufficiently precise to distinguish the species from those that it can be confused with in the area that the botanical was collected.

(3) The harvest of plants for use as dietary ingredients often does not coincide with the plant's flowering season. All of the distinguishing morphological characteristics of the plant are not present at such times. While this is not always a significant obstacle to identification, a manufacturer should use good judgment in determining whether this technique can effectively identify plant material at such times without an identity test that has been proven to distinguish the desired species from know and potential adulterants where the botanical is collected.

(4) In the case of plants harvested from wild populations, it is possible that material from different locations and different collectors may be mixed prior to identification by the representative specimen. The integrity of such methodology is suspect in such situations unless the training of collectors and shipping of the material is sufficient to assure the proper identity of all the material and that sampling protocols are designed to detect the adulteration of heterogeneous lots of material.

2. Microscopic analysis: Use of higher magnification (than provided by a hand lens) and special light or staining techniques to examine powdered or chopped representative sample material. Analysis is based on observation of specific microscopic characteristics that have been established for the specific dietary supplement ingredient. This analysis also is used to identify some adulterants.

a. Identification is based on microscopic observation of cell and tissue structures of plants and animals such as:
(1) Defined histological characteristics of plant parts (e.g. stems, roots and rhizomes, bark, leaves, flowers, seeds, wood);
(2) Defined histological characteristics of animal tissues and cells; and
(3) Defined staining or microscopic chemical reactions.

b. Identification is achieved by use of a validated method, comparison of a representative sample from the commercial batch with authenticated or in-house working plant reference material, or authoritative technical descriptions of established microscopic characteristic(s).

c. Observation:
(1) While microscopy can be used in the identification of ingredients, additional quality or purity data (e.g., contamination by mould, insect, rodent hair, microbe, heavy metal, and economic substitution) can also be obtained from microscopy and
(2) It is possible that finely powdered material may obliterate microscopic characteristics. In this case, other tests such as chemical assays should be employed.

3. Chemical analysis: chromatography:
Techniques that are based on the differential affinities of substances for a gas or liquid mobile medium and a stationary adsorbing medium. Analysis is based on observational comparison of a test pattern and a reference chromatogram for the dietary supplement ingredient of interest.