Quality, purity and labelling accuracy of marketed herbal products: the case of Andrographis paniculata

Current herbal food supplement regulations do not systematically impose quality assessments prior to commercialisation, leaving the quality of these products largely unknown [ 1 ]. With increasing popularity of Andrographis paniculata supplements since the COVID-19 pandemic and their easy consumer access from pharmacies as well as online, understanding the quality of these products is crucial [ 2 ]. This study aims to assess the composition, purity, and labelling accuracy of A. paniculata -containing products. In this quality control study of 40 herbal products containing A. paniculata , 13 were purchased from pharmacies and 27 online. All samples except one contained A. paniculata . The daily dose of andrographolide of the 33 solid herbal products was comparable using UHPLC-UV and UHPLC-MS, except for two products containing quercetin which interfered with the analysis. Of the 23 products for which the labelling contained the dose of andrographolide, measured daily dose of andrographolide ranged from 29% to 174% of the labelled dose; two products were within the 10% tolerance range, 20 lower and one higher. This study reveals widespread mislabelling and underdosing in A. paniculata -containing herbal food supplements marketed internationally. This highlights the need for relevant regulatory authorities to enforce quality controls of HFS to ensure safety and transparency for the consumer. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany