Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) for identification of herbal materials and medicines – A review

Abstract

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) is a DNA based technique, which refers to DNA fragments amplified by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a single arbitrary primer resulting in genetic polymorphism, observed between different genomes. RAPD has been extensively used for identification of herbs and herbal preparations due to its rapidity, simplicity, economy, and absence of prior genetic information and requirement of less sophisticated equipment. This review provides application of RAPD technique in identification and authentication of herbal materials and medicines.