Re: [DIYbio] Re: Political work: DIYbio vs. "alternative 'medicine'"

Jake <jakestew@mail.com> writes:

> It's pretty basic science to separate out "active" ingredients. Start with
> polar/nonpolar extracts, that can cut your work in half. If you find an
> "active" extract then go further. Do simple column chromatography to
> produce fractions, then find the active fraction. We're literally talking
> about a tube with silica in it (fancy cat litter) and a solvent
> system!


Working with that every day, I disagree. It is not always that simple. It
is not just "throw it in the column and get some fractions". You have to
develop which solvent you are using, which particle size, which solid
phase chemistry… You have degradation issues, coelution issues,
artifacts issues…

It is like saying, making a GMO is easy, just take a sequence, shoot it
on the cells and it is ready to go… No its not that easy.

>
> It's a shame that we aren't nailing down more effective extraction and
> standardization systems on a weekly basis. The herbal industry is a
> disgrace IMHO, BUT probably 5-10% of the longstanding claims have real
> merit.

Extraction and standardization are complex process. Especially with
herbals as matrix effects and variations in different samples can be
pretty high. If you add the adulteration issue to that…

I think 5-10% is a lot, I'm not sure it is that high in reality…

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