Research progress in the application of stable isotope and mineral element analysis in tracing the geographical origin of Chinese medicinal materials

The Geographical Origin of Chinese medicinal materials plays an important role in guaranteeing the authenticity of Chinese medicinal materials, ensuring the quality and efficacy of Chinese medicinal materials, maintaining the market order, and reducing the risk of medical accidents caused by counterfeit Chinese medicinal materials. In recent years, there have been more and more research papers on tracing Chinese medicinal materials by stable isotope and mineral element analysis combined with chemometrics. Using stable isotope and mineral element analysis to trace traditional Chinese medicinal materials has the advantages of high accuracy and strong reliability. Through chemometrics methods, medicinal materials from different origins can be classified, distinguished, and modeled, and finally the purpose of origin traceability can be achieved. Based on the introduction of the basic principles of stable isotopes and mineral elements, this article systematically analyzes the research and application of relevant stable isotope and mineral element analysis techniques in the origin traceability of Chinese medicinal materials in the past 10 years, and proposes the existing problems in origin traceability of Chinese medicinal materials. This article aims at providing reference for the origin traceability, confirmation and supervision of Chinese herbal medicines, and promoting the establishment and improvement of the traceability technical system of Chinese herbal medicines.