HPLC contributes to HKCMMS Phase III

Phase III of the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS) programme made use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting, alongside other analytical techniques, to compile reference standards for 28 Chinese herbs.

Each of the herbs is commonly used in medical care, with the reference standards intended to guide on pesticide residues and heavy metals present in the biomatter used in treating patients.

The HKCMMS programme, undertaken by the Hong Kong Department of Health, also aims to set a platform upon which future research into the use of the herbs can be based.

Inclusion in the reference standards depends on four characteristics: common usage, international concern about quality or safety, high economic value and presence in the Chinese Medicine Ordinance's two schedules.

Meanwhile, the publication also details the HPLC and other analyses undertaken in identifying each of the 28 herbs, with the name, source and description of each extract included.

"We are also closely observing any breakthroughs in genetic mapping which could be a future spotlight as a monograph item," the preface to the document reads.