Reference materials

Voucher specimens

Vouchers are the most critical first step in any chain of custody whether it is research or production. Knowing your starting materials confirms activity and safety.

Vouchers

The pressed flowering portion of the plant authenticates the identification. ID is required by FDA for cGMP, for safety, and consistency

Photographs by Trish Flaster

bulk samples

Bulk materials of the scientifically and economically valuable plant part are useful to confirm activity and ID for incoming materials.

How to obtain Reference Materials

Because the shelf-life of many of the bioactives in plants are not readily known, specimens are collected upon request.  They are not keep in storage, sorry, but this is the best we can offer you.  Therefore, plants are collected fresh at traditional harvest times and dried throughout the season.  They are collected by qualified botanists, specialists in their geographic region, or by ethical wildharvesters.  Wild harvesters’ specimens are verified by botanical specialists.

What do you receive?

The original materials are mounted on archival paper, labeled, and a record is keep in the Botanical Liaisons, LLC database.  A digital copy sent with a request. The bulk material is labeled with the voucher number and name of the plant, all within a plastic or cloth bag. If you chose not to receive the voucher, we can arrange for it to be housed in a botanical institution near your facility, or within a larger botanical Institution such as The Missouri Botanical Garden

Training

If you need training for employees we can provide training in botany, taxonomy, as well as herbarium establishment and maintenance. 

What plants are available?

At this time we can provide plants from China, India, Africa, Europe, the US, and parts of Central and South America.  The list is long, so please, contact us to find out which are available.

More information is on our What We Do Page.

Have more specific questions?  Contact Trish Flaster, tflastersprint@earthlink.net