Applications of thin-layer chromatography in the quality control of botanicals

Under botanicals we understand substances obtained from plants, algae, fungi, and lichens, which are used typically in dietary, medicinal, or cosmetic products. In the past few decades, the worldwide consumption of botanicals has been growing systematically and fast. The most important reason of this phenomenon has been international public's reserve against stagnation in official medicine combined with an increased availability of traditional medicines and other botanicals from different cultures and different parts of the globe. This coincidence has directed public interest toward exploration of prohealth benefits of these earlier less accessible goods. An increased international trade in botanicals has been automatically translated into an increased control of these consumables and two crucial steps on this path are authentication and quality control. Thin-layer chromatography plays an important role in meeting this challenge, as it enables rapid screening of botanical extracts, obtaining decisive fingerprints, running of effect-directed analyses, and an occasional identification and quantification of taxonomic or other markers.