DNA Certified Herbs

We are beyond meticulous when it comes to identifying our herbs. It has been an herb industry problem that some companies use fake or mis-identified raw materials and have been caught. Dragon Herbs uses several methods of identifying AND PROVING the authenticity of every herb we use, including oganoleptic (expert visual and other sensory) identification, microscopy, Thin Layer Chromotography (TLC), advanced High Performance Liquid Chromotography (HPLC) fingerprinting, and recently DNA certification. For specific herbs, we do post-extraction analysis to identify and quantify the chemical components of the extracts. For example, each soft gel capsule of our Reishi Spore Oil contains approximately 150 mg of triterpenes, the most active constituent of Reishi Spore Oil.

FACT: Per USP analysis, 75% of Reishi supplements don’t actually contain Reishi mushroom. Using a reliable and scientific toolkit, scientists from the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and the University of Macau (China) found that most of the products that failed the tests lacked characteristic triterpenoids and also had a starch-like polysaccharide profile that was inconsistent with Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum).

Demand for medicinal mushrooms like Reishi has never been higher and the global market was pegged at $18 billion in 2014 (up from $6 billion in 1999). Only five out of 19 supplement products labeled as Reishi mushroom purchased in the U.S. could be verified as genuine Reishi mushroom, says a new study that highlights quality issues in the category.

“This study suggested the quality consistency of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) dietary supplements collected in USA was extremely poor, which should be carefully investigated,” wrote the researchers in Nature’s Scientific Reports Journal.

How do you KNOW the herbs offered by other brands are authentic?

The time has come for supplement companies to embrace the new analytical standards. Ron Teeguarden has been the leader of the tonic herbal movement in America since 1971. And now, Dragon Herbs is the first company to DNA test the likes of Reishi Mushroom.

Each of these herbs has been DNA certified authentic. Each of these herbs have also been HPLC, HPTLC, PCR and TLC analyzed and determined to be authentic and pure beyond any doubt. Check back often to see reports on more of our herbs. Click on the image or herb's name to read the report.