Chrysanthemum Species Used as Food and Medicine: Understanding Quality Differences on the Global Market

The document discusses a study that analyzed 65 samples of two Chrysanthemum species used as food and medicine from the USA, Europe, and China. The study found clear chemical differences between the species and samples from different countries. It also discovered excessive amounts of cadmium, a harmful heavy metal, in 7 samples from all three markets. The researchers suggested that these differences could be due to geographical factors, degradation during transport/storage, or adulteration. They emphasized the need for better quality control, more regulation to address contamination, and a more detailed definition of the drug. However, they acknowledged that the sample size was too small for statistical significance and recommended further studies with larger sample sizes.