This is the most lopsided supplier checklist in the series, and deliberately so. On giloy, one capability — can they fingerprint the species, batch after batch — matters more than documentation, terms, capacity and responsiveness combined. A supplier who is excellent at everything else and cannot do this is not a giloy supplier for a regulated market.
Three Disqualifying Red Flags
- Cannot verify species by HPLC fingerprint. As covered in our standardisation guide, the bitter-principles assay cannot distinguish T. cordifolia from T. crispa. A supplier without fingerprinting capability cannot detect the substitution in their own incoming material — meaning they could pass it to you in complete good faith.
- Has not heard of the T. crispa issue. This attracted significant scrutiny in giloy's home market. A supplier unaware of it has not been engaged with the serious end of this trade.
- Wants to negotiate a fingerprint result. An assay deviation is a conversation; a species mismatch is not. A supplier who treats them the same way has told you what their controls are worth.
The one-question filter: "Do you verify Tinospora cordifolia by HPLC fingerprint against authentic reference material, with T. crispa explicitly excluded, on every batch?" Ask before anything else. The answer — including how readily it comes, and whether they know why you are asking — sorts the field completely.
The Scoring Framework
Weighted to 100 points with species control carrying 45. That is higher than any other ingredient in this series, and it reflects that this is a safety control rather than a quality one.
1. Species Verification — 45 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| HPLC fingerprint against authentic T. cordifolia reference, every batch | 15 |
| "T. crispa not detected" stated explicitly on the CoA | 10 |
| Species authenticated at raw-material intake, not only on finished extract | 8 |
| Tinosporide / tinocordiside marker profile available | 5 |
| DNA barcoding available on raw material where requested | 4 |
| Species declared by binomial with authority | 3 |
The third row is more important than its eight points suggest. Authenticating at intake means identification happens before mixing is possible; verifying only on finished extract means catching a problem after it has been created. Both are worth having; the first prevents rather than detects.
2. Collection-Chain Control — 15 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Collection status declared — cultivated or wild-collected | 5 |
| Cultivated supply available for buyers who require it | 4 |
| Collectors trained on botanical identification, not common names | 4 |
| Batch traceable to collection area and period | 2 |
This section exists because of how inadvertent substitution happens. Giloy is substantially wild-collected by dispersed collectors working from local common names — a structure in which a related Tinospora entering the chain is a foreseeable outcome rather than a conspiracy. A supplier who has addressed this at the collection end is preventing the problem rather than testing for it.
3. Assay and Part Control — 15 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Mature-stem declaration on every batch | 5 |
| Bitter principles with the method named | 4 |
| Berberine reported by HPLC as a chromatographic anchor | 3 |
| Extract versus satva stated unambiguously | 3 |
4. Contaminants and Compliance — 15 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Heavy metals by ICP-MS with numeric per-element limits | 4 |
| Aflatoxin testing by HPLC-FLD | 3 |
| Full USP microbiological panel including pathogens | 3 |
| Acid-insoluble ash limited; carriers declared by name and percentage | 3 |
| EU pesticide MRL screening and non-ETO declaration | 2 |
5. Consistency and Terms — 10 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Three consecutive batch CoAs with consistent fingerprint results | 4 |
| Water-soluble grade genuinely available | 2 |
| Incoterms and written payment terms properly quoted | 2 |
| Technical questions answered by someone who understands the chemistry | 2 |
Interpreting the Score
| Score | Reading |
|---|---|
| 85–100 | Qualified for bulk supply. Proceed to sample and pre-shipment verification. |
| 70–84 | Workable with conditions. Close the gaps in writing before first bulk order. |
| 55–69 | Trial quantities only, with independent species verification on every lot. |
| Below 55 | Not a giloy supplier for a regulated market. |
Apply an absolute floor on section 1: below 25 of 45, decline regardless of total. This is the firmest floor in the series. A supplier can score 55 points across documentation, contaminants, terms and responsiveness while being entirely unable to tell you which Tinospora species is in the drum — and on this ingredient that single gap is not offset by anything.
The Sample Stage
- Ask for the fingerprint chromatogram, not just a certificate line. You want to see a profile compared against reference, not a tick box.
- Check the CoA names T. crispa as excluded. Naming only the wanted species is weaker.
- Check colour. Brown to dark brown for extract. Off-white or cream means satva or heavy starch content.
- Taste it. Giloy is distinctly bitter; flat material for the stated bitter principles merits a chromatogram.
- Ask where it was collected and by whom. A supplier with a real answer has a real chain.
- Did they raise the species issue themselves? The best giloy suppliers lead with it, because they know it is the differentiator. Having to extract it is informative.
First-Order Protocol
- Nominate an independent laboratory — Eurofins, SGS or Intertek. Put species fingerprinting in the scope, not assay. An independent bitter-principles figure reproduces exactly the blind spot you are paying to close, and on this ingredient that is the most consequential version of that error in the whole range.
- Compare the independent fingerprint against the supplier's and against reference.
- Retain a sealed, dated sample — useful later if a question is raised about a finished lot.
- Keep the batch species verification in your product file, not just in goods-in records. "Which species, and how do you know" is the question a customer or regulator will actually ask.
- Re-verify at batch three, then annually, and always on a change of collection area, supplier or manufacturing site.
SV Botanica fingerprints every giloy batch by HPLC against authentic Tinospora cordifolia reference material with T. crispa excluded, declares species by binomial and mature stem, declares collection status, and reports berberine by HPLC. Buyer-nominated third-party pre-shipment testing is welcome and encouraged. See the product page, the buyer's guide, or adulteration and authenticity.
Source Species-Verified Giloy Extract from India
Tinospora cordifolia stem extract · species verified by HPLC fingerprint, T. crispa excluded, every batch · bitter principles method-stated · CoA-backed · samples for qualified buyers