Successful identification of the species of the semipetrified amber medicinal resin benzoin using DNA barcoding technology

Abstract

Abstract Benzoin, also known as semipetrified amber, is the resin secreted from the trunk of the benzoin plant. This medicinal material has blood circulation-promoting and pain-relieving properties. There are approximately 130 species of benzoin plants in the world, and the resin of many plants in the benzoin genus is used, so there is confounding of the species of origin. In this study, DNA was successfully extracted from the semipetrified amber medicinal material benzoin, and the species of benzoin in the medicinal herb market were evaluated by DNA barcoding. BLAST comparison of ITS2 primary sequences and homology prediction analysis of ITS2 secondary structures showed that the commercially available benzoin base originated from Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hart. and Styrax japonicus Sieb. et Zucc. of the genus Styrax Linn., and tissue from other genera was also detected to be mixed in with some samples, accounting for 29.6% of the samples. There is a risk that benzoin resin medical materials will be mixed with tissues from other plants. This is the first report on the subject, and the approach taken provides technical feasibility for the identification of the basis of the benzoin resin medical materials.