DNA Based Molecular Markers: A Tool for Differentiation of Ayurvedic Raw Drugs and their Adulterants

Recent advances in molecular techniques have generated several typing methods based on PCR for genetic assessment of genetic relatedness of plant species. Considering the medicinal importance of plants, it is essential to explore, discover and conserve genetic diversity of these plant species. Levels of polymorphisms represent genetic distance at intra-species level and method used to detect it is efficient marker for assessment of genetic relatedness. With this background, an attempt has been made to summarize the applicability of different DNA based molecular Markers for differentiation of Ayurvedic raw drugs and their adulterants considering the current practices and future perspectives.