With the growing popularity of natural medicines, there is a need for quality assurance tools to ensure the identity, purity, quality, and stability of botanical materials. Reich and Schibli, who work for Switzerland-based natural product laboratories, discuss technical and theoretical aspects of high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTHC) for herbal analysis as an extension of thin-layer chromatography (TLC)--a methodology with which analytical chemists are likely to be familiar. The text includes a glossary of TLC terms; chromatograms and other color illustrations; descriptions of recommended materials, methods, and operating procedures for the HPTHC screening and preparation of herbal raw materials; a project worksheet; and an example of the validation of an identification method using an authenticated sample. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)