Data from: Deep sequencing of plant and animal DNA contained within traditional Chinese medicines reveals legality issues and health safety concerns

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for thousands of
years, but only within the last few decades has its use become more
widespread outside of Asia. Concerns continue to be raised about the
efficacy, legality and safety of many popular complementary alternative
medicines, including TCMs. Ingredients of some TCMs are known to include
derivatives of endangered, trade-restricted species of plant and animal
and therefore contravene the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) legislation. Chromatographic studies have
detected the presence of heavy metals and plant toxins within some TCMs,
and there are numerous cases of adverse reactions. It is in the interests
of both biodiversity conservation and public safety that techniques are
developed to screen medicinals like TCMs. Targeting both the p-loop region
of the plastid trnL gene and the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene over
50,000 amplicon sequence reads were generated from 15 TCM samples
presented in the form of powders, tablets, capsules, bile flakes and
herbal teas. Here we show that Second Generation, high-throughput
sequencing (HTS) of DNA represents an effective means to genetically audit
organic ingredients within complex TCMs. Comparison of DNA sequence data
to reference databases, revealed the presence of 68 different plant
families, and included genera, such as Ephedra and Asarum, which are
potentially toxic. Similarly, four animal families were identified, that
include genera that are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or
critically endangered, including Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus),
and Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica). Bovidae, Cervidae, and Bufonidae DNA
were also detected in many of the TCM samples, and were rarely declared on
the product packaging. This study demonstrates that deep sequencing via
HTS is an efficient and cost-effective way to audit highly processed TCM
products and will assist in monitoring their legality and safety
especially when plant reference databases become better established.