High-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of botanical medicines and dietary supplements: a review

This article reviews research on the qualitative and quantitative analysis by high-performance column liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and LC/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) of botanical drugs, drug substances or preparations, and finished botanical products. In addition, LC/MS and LC/MS/MS techniques and commercial instruments are described and compared briefly, and prospects for future use of these methods for the analysis of botanicals are suggested. Some applications of direct MS without LC are also described.