As well as, there was robust proof that lots of the manufacturers didn’t use fit-for-purpose testing, based on Katie Banaszewski, senior director of high quality at NOW.
The Illinois-based firm bought two samples of twenty-two completely different manufacturers on Amazon.com in August 2025. One bottle of every pattern was examined in NOW’s in-house lab in Illinois, and the opposite was examined by ISO 17025-accredited Alkemist Labs in California.
Hypericin, a key marker compound for St. John’ wort (Hypericum perforatum), was quantified by Excessive-Efficiency Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) utilizing a validated reverse-phase technique after irradiation with white gentle to make sure specificity. Hypericin content material was expressed because the sum of hypericin and pseudo hypericin.
Of the 17 manufacturers making 0.3% hypericin label claims, solely NOW’s personal St. John’s wort product handed and met the desired hypericin content material. Three manufacturers had no detectable hypericin. 5 manufacturers didn’t make any hypericin claims (i.e., had been non-standardized), however two of these examined optimistic for artificial dyes.
Artificial dyes like Sensible Blue (E133), Sundown Yellow (E110) and Tartrazine (E102) artificially inflate hypericin readings when measured by spectrophotometric laboratory analytical strategies, and these dyes had been detected in 9 manufacturers examined by NOW and Alkemist Labs utilizing Excessive-Efficiency Skinny Layer Chromatography (HPTLC).
“What stands out most to me is the robust proof that none of those manufacturers used fit-for-purpose testing, in the event that they examined in any respect,” Banaszewski mentioned. “Our in-house analytical testing, paired with Alkemist Labs’ unbiased verification, underscores the significance of scientifically legitimate strategies.”
NutraIngredients contacted Amazon for remark however didn’t obtain a reply previous to publication.
An herb in demand
Gross sales of St. John’s wort have elevated within the mainstream channel, based on the newest Herb Market Report from the American Botanical Council (HerbalGram #144). Gross sales of natural dietary supplements with St. John’s wort as the first purposeful ingredient elevated 24% from 2023 to 2024, delivering virtually $33 million in gross sales. This put the herb at quantity 13 on the highest promoting listing.
These gross sales numbers underscore the financial significance of the herb within the North American market.
Issues across the high quality of St. John’s wort should not new. Dr. Stefan Gafner, chief science officer of the American Botanical Council and director of Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP), advised NutraIngredients that BAPP was first alerted to the difficulty of adulteration with meals dyes by NOW again in 2015.
A 2017 Bulletin from BAPP then detailed the co-occurrence of adulteration with dyes and different Hypericum species, which the creator famous raises security and authorized issues.
“Business members are suggested to have satisfactory assays to authenticate their SJW materials, and so as to add an acceptable analytical technique to check for dyes to their high quality management protocol for SJW extracts,” the Bulletin concluded.
BAPP subsequently launched a Lab Guidance Document published in 2021, which once more famous the principal financial adulterant is the undeclared addition of artificial meals dyes to the herb extract as a method to extend the looks of the focus worth of complete hypericins (the purple pigments which are current in St. John’s wort).
The doc evaluated 67 completely different strategies used to research St. John’s wort uncooked materials and merchandise, and referenced acceptable HPTLC, HPLC and HPLC-UV/Vis strategies.
Dr. Gafner mentioned that it was tough for him to grasp that adulteration with artificial dyes nonetheless exists “as a result of there have been many publications on this over the previous decade, and it must be clear to anybody who manufactures St. John’s wort dietary dietary supplements that measuring the standard of the ingredient by figuring out how a lot purple shade is in it’s not acceptable (hypericin is a red-colored compound, however so are many others, together with the meals dyes used as adulterants).
“So, it is extremely disappointing to see that the identical kind of fraud remains to be occurring,” he added.
NPA: ‘FDA has not held manufacturers or Amazon accountable’
Commenting on the brand new outcomes, Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO, Pure Merchandise Affiliation (NPA), mentioned: “Given the newest spherical of testing from NOW on St. John’s Wort merchandise, it’s no marvel that some American shoppers select to not buy their dietary dietary supplements from Amazon. NPA has beforehand communicated to the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration the alarming outcomes of NOW’s rigorous testing program, which has revealed time after time that dietary supplements bought on Amazon don’t meet label claims. Sadly, FDA has not held manufacturers or Amazon accountable for defrauding shoppers and promoting merchandise that don’t meet present good manufacturing practices.
“Upon the federal authorities reopening, we urge FDA to establish the producers of those St. John’s wort merchandise and examine them. Something much less undermines the regulatory framework of DSHEA and reduces confidence within the effectiveness of pure merchandise. Lastly, NPA is grateful to NOW for shining a light-weight on these persevering with challenges.”
AHPA weighs in
Dr. Holly Johnson, Chief Science Officer on the American Natural Merchandise Affiliation (AHPA), advised NI that high-quality St. John’s Wort dietary dietary supplements are available available on the market, “from NOW Meals in addition to different respected AHPA member firms and types.
“The best technique to make sure product integrity is to stop adulterated substances from getting into the availability chain within the first place,” she added. “Because of this AHPA is devoted to offering sturdy assets for our members and the broader business. We provide important steerage on finest practices for qualifying natural substances, together with utilizing match for function scientifically legitimate testing strategies to help high quality specs and to detect presence of contaminants or adulterants such because the artificial dyes reported on this current examine.
“By specializing in high quality on the uncooked materials choice stage and using fit-for-purpose testing, we will collectively be sure that shoppers have entry to protected and efficient natural merchandise.”
NOW is a member of NPA and AHPA.
Testing
That is the NOW’s twenty first spherical of product policing because it initiated its testing program in 2017 to judge lesser-known manufacturers bought on-line. All rounds up to now have raised issues tied to points resembling efficiency, labeling, contamination, adulteration and heavy metals throughout product classes.
NOW’s ongoing efforts to publicize high quality issues about dietary supplements bought on Amazon had been acknowledged by NutraIngredients with the 2021 NutraIngredients-USA Award for Industry Initiative of the Year.
