New York attorney general targets devil's claw manufacturers
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The state's attorney general is demanding that 13 manufacturers stop selling an obscure herbal remedy for arthritis called devil's claw because DNA tests found samples contained a plant species different from the plant on their labels.
Schneiderman's investigation of the herbal products industry started with DNA barcoding tests, which are used to identify something as belonging to a particular species, on some of the most popular herbal supplements, including garlic, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, echinacea and saw palmetto.
According to an American Botanical Council market report published Wednesday, sales of herbal dietary supplements in the United States increased by 6.8 last year, reaching more than $6.4 billion.