Abstract: To rapidly and accurately distinguish between the two Chinese medicinal materials, Gynostemma pentaphyllum and Cayratia japonica, a PCR methodology based on the SNP in trnL-F sequence was established. The herbal samples from different production regions were collected for total DNA extraction and trnL-F gene sequencing. The SNPs in trnL-F sequence were determined by using the ClustulX 2.1 program. The primers for the identification were selected by comparing the SNP sites of the herbs to design PCR methods specific to G. pentaphyllum and C. japonica.by addition of SYBR Green I dye to production of PCR, a rapid detection was achieved to positively distinguish the two plant materials.

Key words: Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Cayratia japonica, specific PCR, fluorescence detection