• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.491-492
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• 2008

• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.295-295
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• 2008

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2011

HACCP methodology was applied in the post-harvest processing and storage of domestic medicinal produces. Particularly in terms of mold and mycotoxin contamination, candidate critical control points (CCP) in the conventional practice in Korean farms were selected and monitored by comparing with on the standard guided processing and storage. When each processing of Angelicae Gigantis Radix were assessed for their safety, the drying steps such as the sun drying or the thermal drying depending on each farm made differences in mold contamination. Moreover, the storage conditions before or after the processing were another critical determinant in the fungal contamination. In other words, storage under $4{\circ}C$ rather than at room temperature was favorable for reducing mold growth in the harvested crops. Occurrence rate of Aflatoxin $B_1 \;(AFB_1)$ in Angelicae Gigantis Radix were 12.8%, but amount of $AFB_1$ in all the collected samples were below 10 ppb regulatory limit allowed in Korea. However, for a few samples of Angelicae Gigantis Radix, still relatively high levels of total amount of the major aflatoxins (aflatoxin $B_1\; +\; B_2\; +\; G_1\; +\; G_2$) were observed around 0.18~49.94 ppb, which is not regulated presently in Korea. It thus can be suggested that post-harvest processing and storage of Korean medicinal crops need further investigation and monitoring to establish the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), particularly to minimize microbial risk including mold and mycotoxin contamination under the changing climate. Additionally, it is also warranted for new enacting of regulatory limits for total aflatoxins in the medicinal crops.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.173-185
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• 2019

Background: Galgeun-tang used in traditional Korean medicine, is a mixture of the medicinal plants Cinnamomi Ramulus, Ephedrae Herba and Puerariae Radix, and has been prescribed for the treatment of various ailments, including fever. Although the use of traditional medicinal herbs to treat diseases has recently increased, their safety and toxicity profiles incompletely elucidated. Thus, we evaluated Galgeun-tang's toxicity in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods and Results: Galgeun-tang (1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 mg/kg) was orally administered to rats for 13 weeks, and then, they were maintained for 4 weeks without administration (recovery period). Their clinical signs, and hematological and urinary properties, were monitored. The results showed that Galgeun-tang administeration slightly increased serum creatinine, urea nitrogen and, aspartate aminotransferase levels. Additionally, 2,000 and 4,000 mg/kg Galgeun-tang significantly increased urinary bilirubn and protein levels of male and female rats, which were restored during the recovery period. Conclusions: The no-observed-adverse-effect level of orally administered Galgeun-tang was 4,000 mg/kg in both female and male rats, and no target organs were identified. In addition, 400 mg/kg was found to be the no-observed-effect level for toxicity under the study conditions.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2016

Background: The public has increasing concerns about herbal crops owing to insufficient information on biological hazards such as foodborne pathogens. Therefore, the objective of this study is the development of a herbal crop quality control system through monitoring with biological hazard analysis. Today, it is estimated that millions of people become ill every year from food contamination. The public demands agricultural products of stable and consistent quality. Governments have the responsibility of establishing the standards, legislation and enforcement programs necessary to control food quality and safety. However, research on the biosafety of herbal crop products is still insufficient. Therefore, the implementation of monitoring systems with high standards is critical for public safety. Methods and Results: In this study, we collected 52 samples of herbal crop products, and conducted both quantitative and qualitative biological hazard analysis. With biological hazard analysis, aerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Coliforms, and Listeria spp. could be detected. Conclusions: Herbal crops were found to be contaminated with aerobic bacteria at $3.69{\pm}0.32log\;CFU/g$. Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Coliforms, and Listeria spp. were not detected in any of the samples. This research suggests that continuous monitoring of biological hazards is required to improve the quality of herbal crops.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.319-325
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• 2015

The safety of plant species used as a source for herbal medicines and dietary supplements has recently been questioned due to poisonings associated with the presence of cadmium (Cd) in these plants. These plants can derive Cd from their presence in the soil. Organic matter (OM) concentrations in soils could affect the availability of Cd for plants. To determine the effect of OM concentration in soil on the concentration of plant available Cd and uptake of this toxic element by medicinal plants, soil and plant samples were collected from 102 fields supporting for 5 species of medicinal plants in 6 province of South Korea. Concentrations of OM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soils affected the phytoavailability of Cd. One M $NH_4OAc$ extractable Cd concentration in soil increased with increasing OM concentrations. There were significantly positive relationships between 1 M $NH_4OAc$ extractable Cd concentration and OM concentration in soil and between 1 M $NH_4OAc$ extractable Cd concentration and DOC concentration. Likewise, OM and DOC concentrations significantly affected Cd concentration in medicinal plant soils. Cadmium concentration in medicinal plants increased with increasing OM concentration in soil [Cd concentration $(mg\;kg^{-1})= 0.179+1.424{\times}10^{-3}$ OM concentrations, $R^2=0.042*$] and with DOC concentration [Cd concentration $(mg\;kg^{-1})= 0.150+5.870{\times}10^{-4}$ DOC concentrations, $R^2=0.124***$]. These results might result from Cd-DOC complex which is easily absorbed Cd form by plant root. Dissolved organic carbon concentration had more positive relationship with Cd concentration in medicinal plants and 1 M $NH_4OAc$ extractable Cd concentration in soils than OM. Cadmium concentration in all 5 species of medicinal plant (Atractylodes macrocephala Koidzumi, Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis lanceolata, Platycodon grandiflorum, and Rehmannia glutinosa) significantly increased with increasing DOC concentration in soil. From the above results, formation of Cd-DOC complex caused by OM application might be mainly attributed to increase in Cd concentration in medicinal plants.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.439-445
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• 2015

Background : Correct identification of Panax species is important to ensure food quality, safety, authenticity and health for consumers. This paper describes a high resolution melting (HRM) analysis based method using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 5.8S ribosomal DNA barcoding regions as target (Bar-HRM) to obtain barcoding information for the major Panax species and to identify the origin of ginseng plant. Methods and Results : A PCR-based approach, Bar-HRM was developed to discriminate among Panax species. In this study, the ITS1, ITS2, and 5.8S rDNA genes were targeted for testing, since these have been identified as suitable genes for use in the identification of Panax species. The HRM analysis generated cluster patterns that were specific and sensitive enough to detect small sequence differences among the tested Panax species. Conclusion : The results of this study show that the HRM curve analysis of the ITS regions and 5.8S rDNA sequences is a simple, quick, and reproducible method. It can simultaneously identify three Panax species and screen for variants. Thus, ITS1HRM and 5.8SHRM primer sets can be used to distinguish among Panax species.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.124-129
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the residual contents of sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$) in commercial medicinal herbs in Korea in 2012. Among a total of 136 samples of 16 different kinds of herbs, 86 samples (15 Kinds) were domestic, and 50 samples (14 Kinds) were imported. Sulfur dioxide in the samples was measured by a modified Monier-Williams method. Of the 136 samples, 17 samples (12.5%, 6 Kinds) failed to meet the regulations for sulfur dioxide residues of KFDA in medicinal herbs. Among 17 unsuitable samples, 7 samples (8.1%, 3 Kinds) were domestic, and 10 samples (20.0%, 6 Kinds) were imported. The highest amount of sulfur dioxide residues was 3,167.94 mg/kg (Lycii Fructus) in the domestic samples. The detection frequency of sulfur dioxide by medicinal herb parts used, Rhizoma 25.7%, Flos 20.0%. Cortex 12.5%, Radix 15.3%, Fructus 7.6%, p-value 0.011. This results will be used as a basic data for the future legislation on the quality estimation and safety of medicinal herbs.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2011

This studies were conducted to investigate the growth responses and yields of Astragalus membranaceus Bunge which were grown with organic cultivation using two organic fertilizers and two green manure crops of hairy vetch and rye in 2008 and 2009. The lengths of stems and roots were not clearly different between organic and conventional cultivations. The root diameters and the branch numbers were slightly thicker and more in all treatments of organic cultivation than that of conventional cultivation in 2008, although they were not significantly different between two cultivating methods in 2009. The dry weights of shoot and root were heavier on organic cultivation than those on conventional cultivation. The T/R ratios were commonly higher in organic culture, showing more clearly in 2008 than 2009. The yields were generally higher in organic cultivation than those in conventional cultivation in 2008 although the effect did not clear on yield in 2009. The organic cultivation using of organic fertilizers and green manure crops would be new method to have safety and qualitative products. The techniques of organic cultivation for Astragalus membranaceus Bunge would be studied more on utilizing the natural organic resources.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.434-439
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• 2012

This study was conducted to determine the contents of heavy metal in commercial herbal medicines. The monitoring of lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury was carried out on 100 samples with 10 kinds of herbal medicines. The contents of heavy metal were measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and mercury analyzer. The mean values of heavy metal contents for herbal medicines were Pb 1.87 mg/kg, As 0.39 mg/kg, Cd 0.26 mg/kg and Hg 0.021 mg/kg. Of the total samples, 19 samples (19%, 4 types) were violated the KFDA regulatory guidance of heavy metal in herbal medicines (9 samples on Pb, 10 samples on Cd). Among these 19 unsuitable samples, 16 samples were domestic and 3 samples were imported. Therefore, we need continuously monitoring to ensure confidence and safety for these herbal medicines.