A Guide to Identification of Herbal Dietary Supplements and Related Botanicals

The Virtual Herbarium of Plants in Commerce
designed to identify or confirm unknown or non-authenticated plant parts.

If you have discernable plant parts, start here.

Interactive Key

An interactive key consists of a database of visible characteristics of numerous plants.
Even if you don't have the traditional complete specimen, you can enter, in any order, such characteristics of plant parts as form, shape, size or color.
It is sometimes possible to use even severely limited plant material, complemented by microscopic examination and chemical chromatography, to get a positive identification or confirmation if the species is in this database.

Tutorial

 Instructions for the interactive key

Glossary

A visual guide to the terms used in the Interactive Key    Shape Definitions    Web-Safe Color Chart


If you have only powder, start here to find TLC and Microscopy.

Species Search

Search for particular Species and then view full plant monographs, including taxonomic descriptions and chemical and visual analyses.

Species List

 From a listing of Common and Scientific (Latin) names, choose a particular Scientific Name, then view full plant monographs.


Background Background information on Botanic Dietary Supplements from NIH ODS
Java plug-in If the interactive key doesn't work for you, you may want to download and install the Java browser plug-in from Sun, or try this: Interactive Key without JavaScript.
Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Mr. SID plug-in If you are on the MS Windows platform and use Netscape Navigator, Mozilla or Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers, you may want to download and install the browser plug-in from Lizardtech to view the SID graphics at their best.
Note about Pop-Ups This site has no advertising pop-ups.
To facilitate comparison among different images, drawings, definitions, etc. this site opens new browser windows for the glossary, each of the species vouchers, and for other links. In order for this to work, you may need to allow this site to open pop-ups, or turn off your pop-up blocker if it doesn't allow exemptions for particular sites.
DTM 2004-05-05