DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8ps58rp2
title: Data from: Deep sequencing of plant and animal DNA contained within traditional Chinese medicines reveals legality issues and health safety concerns

description: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for thousands of
 years, but only within the last few decades has its use become more
 widespread outside of Asia. Concerns continue to be raised about the
 efficacy, legality and safety of many popular complementary alternative
 medicines, including TCMs. Ingredients of some TCMs are known to include
 derivatives of endangered, trade-restricted species of plant and animal
 and therefore contravene the Convention on International Trade in
 Endangered Species (CITES) legislation. Chromatographic studies have
 detected the presence of heavy metals and plant toxins within some TCMs,
 and there are numerous cases of adverse reactions. It is in the interests
 of both biodiversity conservation and public safety that techniques are
 developed to screen medicinals like TCMs. Targeting both the p-loop region
 of the plastid trnL gene and the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene over
 50,000 amplicon sequence reads were generated from 15 TCM samples
 presented in the form of powders, tablets, capsules, bile flakes and
 herbal teas. Here we show that Second Generation, high-throughput
 sequencing (HTS) of DNA represents an effective means to genetically audit
 organic ingredients within complex TCMs. Comparison of DNA sequence data
 to reference databases, revealed the presence of 68 different plant
 families, and included genera, such as Ephedra and Asarum, which are
 potentially toxic. Similarly, four animal families were identified, that
 include genera that are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or
 critically endangered, including Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus),
 and Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica). Bovidae, Cervidae, and Bufonidae DNA
 were also detected in many of the TCM samples, and were rarely declared on
 the product packaging. This study demonstrates that deep sequencing via
 HTS is an efficient and cost-effective way to audit highly processed TCM
 products and will assist in monitoring their legality and safety
 especially when plant reference databases become better established.
description: TCM_001Animal and Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 1TCM_002Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 2TCM_003TCM_004Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 4TCM_006Animal and Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 6TCM_011Animal and Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 11TCM_013Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 13TCM_015Animal Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 15TCM_016Animal and Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 16TCM_018Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 18TCM_021Animal and Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 21TCM_024Animal Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 24TCM_026Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 26TCM_027Animal and Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 27TCM_020Animal and Plant Sequences from Traditional Chinese Medicine Sample No. 20