Application of Partial Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequences for the Discrimination ofArtemisia capillarisfrom OtherArtemisiaSpecies
SeveralArtemisiaspecies are used as herbal medicines including the dried aerial parts ofArtemisia capillaris, which are used as Artemisiae Capillaris Herba (known as “Injinho” in Korean medicinal terminology and “Yin Chen Hao” in Chinese). In this study, we developed tools for distinguishing betweenA. capillarisand 11 otherArtemisiaspecies that grow and/or are cultured in China, Japan, and Korea. Based on partial nucleotide sequences in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) that differ between the species, we designed primers to amplify a DNA marker forA. capillaris. In addition, to detect otherArtemisiaspecies that are contaminants ofA. capillaris, we designed primers to amplify DNA markers ofA. japonica,A. annua,A. apiacea, andA. anomala. Moreover, based on random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis, we confirmed that primers developed in a previous study could be used to identifyArtemisiaspecies that are sources of Artemisiae Argyi Folium and Artemisiae Iwayomogii Herba. By using these primers, we found that multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was a reliable tool to distinguish betweenA. capillarisand otherArtemisiaspecies and to identify otherArtemisiaspecies as contaminants ofA. capillarisin a single PCR.