What can two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (2D-IR) tell us about the composition,origin and authenticity of herbal medicines?

There is growing popularity in the use of herbal medicines around the world. Due to the presence of a complex mixture of compounds in such medicines, there are few techniques that can be readily used for their characterization. Two-dimensional correlation infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy is a promising technique that has been applied successfully in the analysis of complex mixtures including herbal medicines. The counterfeit check, growing condition identification, geographic region identification and processing procedure monitoring of herbal medicines using 2D-IR spectroscopy are reviewed.