Recently

molecular biotechnology has provided sophisticated molecular techniques for authentication of botanical materials at the DNA level and DNA technology provides a powerful tool to complement chemical analyses for authentication of Chinese medicinal plants and to ensure that herbal materials are not contaminated with ineffective or potentially harmful substitutes or adulterants.this review provides an account of commonly used DNA-based technologies for TCM plants.Recent achievements in the field of DNA barcoding and DNA chip technology that offfer great potentials for detecting of DNA and emerging new developments for future identification of species are briefly outlined.