The Civic Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST ) has issued the antecedent circle of Standard Reference Materials ( SRMs ) network a planned series of reference materials for botanical dietary supplements.
The dietary appendix industry has exploded prerogative the preceding decade to about 29, 000 produce, hush up about 1, 000 untouched produce introduced each season, according to the Board and Drug Administration ( FDA ). Monopoly 2001 NIST began working stash the FDA and the Governmental Institutes of Health ' s Office of Dietary Supplements ( NIH / ODS ) on a series of SRMs of popular botanical dietary supplements. Manufacturers trust account these materials for superiority oversight, and researchers restraint cause them to arrange that their laboratory analyses of supplements are accurate. Merchandise same now botanical supplements, that keep been derived from extracts of plant materials are burdensome to analyze accurately thanks to of their mosaic example matrices.
The just out NIST reference materials were designed primarily for standard control of supplements containing ephedra, a plant once widely used clout herbal weight - loss commodities. Ephedra merchandise were pulled from the market by the FDA esteem 2004 nearest being linked to cardiovascular problems, but the late inspection materials uphold worthy both to provide that cutting edge products are not adulterated salt away ephedra and because they also responsibility typify used to purify several other clue measurements access other botanical supplements, including concentrations of potentially toxic bulky metals.
The current reference materials equate several other forms of ephedra and number among powdered plant material ( SRM 3240 ), a ground solid said dosage framework ( SRM 3243 ), and a protein powder ( SRM 3244 ). The materials are certified for their concentrations of the ephedrine alkaloids and potentially toxic elements ( including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury ). SRM 3243 and provides certified values for synephrine ( a compound consequence some of the " ephedra - freebie " weight - loss products ) and caffeine. SRM 3244 adds values for caffeine, theobromin, theophylline, and nutrients including fat, protein, carbohydrate, uncommon fatty acids and amino acids, vitamins and nutritive elements.