Laboratory Testing
Treasure of the East herbal extracts are tested in a world-class laboratory jointly established by Tianjiang Pharmaceutical and the biotechnology research leader, Waters Corporation. The laboratory is certified to ISO/IEC17025 Standards for testing and calibration laboratories by ILAC-MRA/CNAS, international accreditation bodies recognized in 28 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea (current certificate).
The laboratory is advised by Dr. Chen Keji, a member of the Chinese National Academy of Sciences, and is staffed by many PhD's, post-doctoral fellows, and leaders in the field of Chinese herbal extracts.
The laboratory is a 20,000 sq. ft. space equipped with industry-leading instrumentation. Tianjiang was the first in the industry to employ liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) capable of simultaneous multiple-constituent chemical characterization. Other modern analytical and testing instruments used in the laboratory include thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography, UV-visible spectrophotometry, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
A Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS) in the Tianjiang Waters Laboratory
HPLC used in the characterization of chemical signatures in Treasure of the East herbs.
Tianjiang laboratory personnel at work
Trained laboratory personnel use these instruments to test against Tianjiang's internally developed standards for TLC botanical identity and for HPLC chemical marker content for 150 herbal extracts. Requirements for HPLC chemical marker content is extremely rare amongst producers of full-spectrum herbal extracts. These requirements give our herbs the consistent potency of standardized herbs with the same balance of chemical constituents as whole or full-spectrum herbs. Read more about full-spectrum extracts vs. standardized extracts here.
Additionally, Tianjiang tests for a suite of marker chemicals for compliance with Tianjiang's internal standards. These tests can be done with extremely high accuracy using LC/MS or for characterizing batch-to-batch consistency using HPLC. Sample chemical constituent test results are shown below for for Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle) and for multiple batches of Ban Zhi Lian (Scutellaria). The latter demonstrates exceptional batch-to-batch consistency for multiple chemicals.
LC/MS chemical constituents analysis of Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle)
HPLC analysis of multiple batches of Ban Zhi Lian (Scutellaria)
Testing is performed for all raw botanical materials, as well as for intermediate products and finished products. Treasure of the East herbs are comprehensively tested for identity, single- and multiple-constituent compounds, solubility, bacterial contamination, heavy metals, aflatoxin, sulfur compounds, and pesticide residues. Certificates of Analysis are available for every batch of herbs.
To request a COA or to read more about the full traceability of our herbs, please click here.