Table 2.
Maximum recommended levels of AFs and OTA in medicinal plants.
| Country/Region | Product (Group) | AFB1 μg kg−1 | Total AFs μg kg−1 | OTA μg kg−1 | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe a | Herbal drugs | 2 | 4 | [44] | |
| United States | Some types of raw medicinal herb materials, as well as their powder and/or dry extract | 5 | 20 | [47,48] | |
| China | A total of nineteen different types of TCMs | 5 | 10 | [50] | |
| Britain | Herbal drugs | 2 | 4 | [45] | |
| Korea | Armeniacae Semen, Arecae Semen, Cassiae Semen, Crotonis Semen, Curcumae Radix, Dolichoris Semen, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Nelumbinis Semen, Myristicae Semen, Persicae Semen, Pinelliae Tuber, Polygalae Radix, Carthami Flos, Thujae Semen, Trichosanthis Semen, Zizyphi Semen | 10 | 15 | [51] | |
| Indonesia | Coconut, spices and traditional drug medicines/herbs | 20 | [42] | ||
| Canada | Products containing ginseng or any substance derived from this source, Evening Primrose Oil, sugar cane, sugar beets, cottonseed | 5 | 20 | [49] | |
| Japan | Crude drug and preparations containing crude drugs as main ingredient (crude drug preparations) | 10 | [52] | ||
| Vietnam | Nutmeg | 5 | 10 | 30 | [53] |
| Ginger and turmeric | |||||
| Black and white pepper | |||||
| Licorice root used for herbal tea | 20 | ||||
| Licorice extract for beverage or to mix | 80 | ||||
| Germany | Any materials used in manufacture of medicinal products (including medicinal herbal products) | 2 | 4 | [46] | |
| Argentina | Herbs, herbal materials and herbal preparations used for herbal tea infusions | 5 | 20 | [46] | |
| Europe b | Nutmeg | 5 | 10 | 15 | [43] |
| Ginger | |||||
| Turmeric | |||||
| White and black pepper | |||||
| Dried figs | 6 | 10 | |||
| Liquorice root, ingredient for herbal infusion | 20 | ||||
| Liquorice extract, for use in food in particular beverages and confectionary | 80 |
a Recommended by European Pharmacopoeia Commission; b Recommended by European Commission.