Alkemist Labs Releases “Herbs & Fungi We’re Watching” 2025 Listing 20 Ingredients Requiring Extra Scrutiny
Garden Grove, CA (August 14, 2025) –Alkemist Labs has released a list of the botanicals and fungi that most frequently failed identity testing during the first eight months of 2025, naming the botanicals and fungi which should undergo more scrutiny in sourcing and testing.
All samples were tested using High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) to assess identity and quality of botanicals and various ingredients. Alkemist holds a flexible scope ISO 17025 accreditation for HPTLC, which is able to detect adulterants and contamination, such as containing incorrect plant parts, closely related species, and unknowns. This technique is applicable to crude raw botanicals from powdered to whole form, extract (powdered or liquid), and finished product/blends.
This list is representative of the products Alkemist’s manufacturer clients are testing before they put them into their products, as well as some finished products
Common Name
Berberis aristate / Berberis asiatica
Indian barberry
Tea
Asian ginseng
Guarana*
Saw palmetto*
Japanese sophora
Wheat
Slippery elm
Nettle, stinging nettle*
Valerian*
Ashwagandha*
Common names are as listed in AHPA’s Herbs of Commerce 3rd Edition, the definitive guide to proper botanical and fungi labeling.
*Appeared on previous lists
“We provide this information on current identity problems Alkemist is seeing to augment some of the other excellent tools available to the industry in supporting ingredient and product quality,” said Petra Erlandsen, Alkemist VP of Sales. “This list, along with other resources such as the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) bulletins and laboratory guidance documents, can be critical tools for the market to stay vigilant against adulteration and other quality issues.”
For specifics on methodology, please contact your rep at Alkemist Labs.
About Alkemist Labs
Alkemist Labs is an ISO 17025 accredited contract testing laboratory specializing in plant authentication, botanical ingredient identification, quantitative analytical services and contaminant screening for the Food & Beverage, Nutraceutical and Cosmeceutical industries. Located in a state-of-the-art facility in Garden Grove, California, Alkemist Labs offers clients a wide range of specialty research services to evaluate the identity, purity, and quality of botanical raw materials, dietary ingredients, and finished products. Alkemist Labs also produces a complete line of Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs), critical tools for botanical identity verification. Since it was founded in 1997, Alkemist Labs has become the ideal “Partner for Quality” to companies interested in producing high quality natural products requiring independent, third-party analysis, Stability/Shelf-life studies, Certification of Analysis, and cGMP compliance.
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