The Line That Matters Most

"Species verification: fingerprint matches Rubia cordifolia reference; Rubia tinctorum not detected."

If this line is not on the certificate, the document has not established which madder you have bought. And because R. tinctorum preparations were withdrawn in Europe on genotoxicity grounds, that is not a purely commercial gap.

Note the two components: a match against the wanted species, and an exclusion naming the unwanted one. Both should be stated. Naming what was excluded is what makes the claim checkable.

The Second Line: Anthraquinone Profile

Anthraquinone profile by HPLC, reported per batch — purpurin, munjistin, and the wider pattern.

Two reasons to require it:

  1. It is the analytical basis of the species fingerprint;
  2. It documents the constituent class that carries this genus's regulatory history — which your safety review will want, particularly for an oral application.

A manjistha certificate with no anthraquinone data has left the relevant question entirely undocumented.

Identity and Part

LineWhat it establishes
Botanical source (binomial)Rubia cordifolia L. — the supplier's assertion
Identification by TLCConsistency with reference — limited between close relatives
Species fingerprint (HPLC)Which madder this is
Part usedRoot and rhizome — aerial parts excluded
Extraction ratioProcess descriptor, declared
Collection statusCultivated or wild-collected

Colour Authenticity

On a deeply pigmented root extract, synthetic dye screening is a proportionate control — particularly for material sourced through a trading chain. Enriching the colour of weak material is a simple and historically attested adulteration.

We provide dye screening by HPLC on request and consider it ordinary practice rather than an unusual demand.

Ash

LineLimitReflects
Total ashNMT 12%The botanical's mineral content
Acid-insoluble ashNMT 2%Soil and grit — the cleanliness line

This is a root harvested from the ground, so acid-insoluble ash is doing real work. A high figure indicates inadequate washing rather than an inherent property of the plant.

Contaminants and Microbiology

The Line Most Certificates Lack Entirely

One more, and it is administrative rather than analytical: the intended application.

We record whether material is supplied for topical or oral use, because the documentation set differs. A supplier who has never asked which one you are formulating has not thought about the difference — and on this botanical the difference is the whole regulatory conversation.

Complete Requirement Set

  1. Species fingerprint result, R. tinctorum named as excluded;
  2. Anthraquinone profile reported per batch;
  3. Identity by TLC; species by binomial;
  4. Root-and-rhizome declaration;
  5. Extraction ratio; collection status;
  6. Loss on drying, pH, bulk density, mesh;
  7. Total and acid-insoluble ash;
  8. Residual solvent by GC;
  9. Heavy metals by ICP-MS, itemised;
  10. Aflatoxins B1 and total;
  11. Synthetic dye screening;
  12. Pesticide residues; non-ETO declaration;
  13. Full USP microbiological panel;
  14. Batch number, manufacturing and retest dates.

Independent Testing

Put species verification in the scope rather than a general assay — a total-anthraquinone figure reproduces the exact blind spot that allows one madder to pass for another. Ask your laboratory for an HPLC fingerprint against R. cordifolia reference material, and for an oral application discuss specific anthraquinone testing with them.

Buyers can nominate Eurofins, SGS or Intertek. Every SV Botanica batch ships with a CoA from a NABL-accredited laboratory; methods are on our quality page, and you can request a sample with full documentation.