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21 CFR § 172.510 - Natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t21/s172.510"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "21 CFR § 172.510 - Natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors."
title_number: 21
title_name: "Food and Drugs"
section_number: "172.510"
section_name: "Natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors."
chapter_name: "FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES"
subchapter_number: "B"
subchapter_name: "FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION"
part_number: "172"
part_name: "FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED FOR DIRECT ADDITION TO FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "21 U.S.C. 321, 341, 342, 348, 371, 379e."
regulatory_source: "42 FR 14491, Mar. 15, 1977, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "172"
---

# 172.510 Natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors.

Natural flavoring substances and natural adjuvants may be safely used in food in accordance with the following conditions.

(a) They are used in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended physical or technical effect and in accordance with all the principles of good manufacturing practice.

(b) In the appropriate forms (plant parts, fluid and solid extracts, concentrates, absolutes, oils, gums, balsams, resins, oleoresins, waxes, and distillates) they consist of one or more of the following, used alone or in combination with flavoring substances and adjuvants generally recognized as safe in food, previously sanctioned for such use, or regulated in any section of this part.

| Common name | Scientific name | Limitations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aloe | Baker,  Mill.,  Mill., and hybrids of this sp. with  Mill. and  Baker |  |
| Althea root and flowers | L |  |
| Amyris (West Indian sandalwood) | L |  |
| Angola weed | Ach | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Arnica flowers | L.,  Pursh,  Greene, or  Hooker | Do. |
| Artemisia (wormwood) | spp | Finished food thujone free |
| Artichoke leaves | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Benzoin resin | Dryander,  Perkins,  (Pierre) Craib ex Hartwich, or other spp. of the Section  of the genus |  |
| Blackberry bark | Section |  |
| Boldus (boldo) leaves | Mol | Do. |
| Boronia flowers | Nees |  |
| Bryonia root | L., or  Jacq | Do. |
| Buchu leaves | Bartl. et Wendl.,  (L.) Hook. or  Willd |  |
| Buckbean leaves | L | Do. |
| Cajeput | L. and other  spp |  |
| Calumba root | (Lam.) Miers | Do. |
| Camphor tree | (L.) Nees et Eberm | Safrole free |
| Cascara sagrada | DC |  |
| Cassie flowers | (L.) Willd |  |
| Castor oil | L |  |
| Catechu, black | Willd |  |
| Cedar, white (aborvitae), leaves and twigs | L | Finished food thujone free |
| Centuary | Gilib | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Cherry pits | L. or  L | Not to exceed 25 p.p.m. prussic acid |
| Cherry-laurel leaves | L | Do. |
| Chestnut leaves | (Marsh.) Borkh |  |
| Chirata | Buch.-Ham | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Cinchona, red, bark | Pav. or its hybrids | In beverages only; not more than 83 p.p.m. total cinchona alkaloids in finished beverage |
| Cinchona, yellow, bark | Moens,  Wedd., or hybrids of these with other spp. of | Do. |
| Copaiba | South American spp. of  L |  |
| Cork, oak | L., or  F. Gay | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Costmary | L | Do. |
| Costus root | Clarke |  |
| Cubeb | L. f |  |
| Currant, black, buds and leaves | L |  |
| Damiana leaves | Willd |  |
| Davana | Wall |  |
| Dill, Indian | Roxb. ( Benth et Hook.,  L.) |  |
| Dittany (fraxinella) roots | L | Do. |
| Dittany of Crete | L |  |
| Dragon's blood (dracorubin) | spp |  |
| Elder tree leaves | L | In alcoholic beverages only; not to exceed 25 p.p.m. prussic acid in the flavor |
| Elecampane rhizome and roots | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Elemi | L. or  Miq |  |
| Erigeron | L |  |
| Eucalyptus globulus leaves | Labill |  |
| Fir (“pine”) needles and twigs | Ledeb.,  Mill.,  Masters or  Miyabe et Kudo |  |
| Fir, balsam, needles and twigs | (L.) Mill |  |
| Galanga, greater | Willd | Do. |
| Galbanum | Boiss. et Buhse and other  spp |  |
| Gambir (catechu, pale) | Roxb |  |
| Genet flowers | L |  |
| Gentian rhizome and roots | L |  |
| Gentian, stemless | L | Do. |
| Germander, chamaedrys | L | Do. |
| Germander, golden | L | Do. |
| Guaiac | L.,  L.,  Lor |  |
| Guarana | HBK |  |
| Haw, black, bark | L |  |
| Hemlock needles and twigs | (L.) Carr. or  (Raf.) Sarg |  |
| Hyacinth flowers | L |  |
| Iceland moss | Ach | Do. |
| Imperatoria | (L.). Koch ( L.) |  |
| Iva | Jacq | Do. |
| Labdanum | spp |  |
| Lemon-verbena | HBK | Do. |
| Linaloe wood | Poiss. and other  spp |  |
| Linden leaves | spp | Do. |
| Lovage | Koch |  |
| Lungmoss (lungwort) | Ach |  |
| Maidenhair fern | L | Do. |
| Maple, mountain | Lam |  |
| Mimosa (black wattle) flowers | Willd. var. |  |
| Mullein flowers | L. or  Schrad | Do. |
| Myrrh | Engl.,  (Berg) Engl., or other  spp |  |
| Myrtle leaves | L | Do. |
| Oak, English, wood | L | Do. |
| Oak, white, chips | L |  |
| Oak moss | (L.) Ach.,  (L.) Mann, and other lichens | Finished food thujone free |
| Olibanum | Birdw. and other  spp |  |
| Opopanax (bisabolmyrrh) | Koch (true opopanax) of  Engl. var. |  |
| Orris root | L. (including its variety  Dykes) and  Lam |  |
| Pansy | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Passion flower | L |  |
| Patchouly | Benth. and  Benth |  |
| Peach leaves | (L.) Batsch | In alcoholic beverages only; not to exceed 25 p.p.m. prussic acid in the flavor |
| Pennyroyal, American | (L.) Pers |  |
| Pennyroyal, European | L |  |
| Pine, dwarf, needles and twigs | Turra var.  (Haenke) Zenari |  |
| Pine, Scotch, needles and twigs | L |  |
| Pine, white, bark | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Pine, white oil | Mill., and other  spp |  |
| Poplar buds | L. ( Mill.),  Ait., or  L | Do. |
| Quassia | (Sw.) Planch, or  L |  |
| Quebracho bark | Schlecht, or ( (Griseb)) | (Griseb.) Engl. |
| Quillaia (soapbark) | Mol |  |
| Red saunders (red sandalwood) | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Rhatany root | Ruiz et Pav. or  Mart |  |
| Rhubarb, garden root | L | Do. |
| Rhubarb root | Baill.,  L., or other spp. (excepting  L.) or hybrids of  grown in China |  |
| Roselle | L | Do. |
| Rosin (colophony) | Mill., and other  spp | Do. |
| St. Johnswort leaves, flowers, and caulis | L | Hypericin-free alcohol distillate form only; in alcoholic beverages only |
| Sandalwood, white (yellow, or East Indian) | L |  |
| Sandarac | (Vahl.), Mast | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Sarsaparilla | Mill., (Mexican sarsaparilla),  Killip et Morton (Honduras sarsaparilla),  Kunth (Ecuadorean sarsaparilla), or undetermined  spp. (Ecuadorean or Central American sarsaparilla) |  |
| Sassafras leaves | (Nutt.) Nees | Safrole free |
| Senna, Alexandria | Delile |  |
| Serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot) | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Simaruba bark | Aubl | Do. |
| Snakeroot, Canadian (wild ginger) | L |  |
| Spruce needles and twigs | (Moench) Voss or  (Mill.) BSP |  |
| Storax (styrax) | Mill. or  L |  |
| Tagetes (marigold) | L.,  L., or  L. ( Schrank) | As oil only |
| Tansy | L | In alcoholic beverages only; finished alcoholic beverage thujone free |
| Thistle, blessed (holy thistle) | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| (Spanish “origanum”) | Hoffmg. et Link |  |
| Tolu | (L.) Harms |  |
| Turpentine | Mill. and other  spp. which yield terpene oils exclusively |  |
| Valerian rhizome and roots | L |  |
| Veronica | L | Do. |
| Vervain, European | L | Do. |
| Vetiver | Stapf | Do. |
| Violet, Swiss | L |  |
| Walnut husks (hulls), leaves, and green nuts | L. or  L |  |
| Woodruff, sweet | L | In alcoholic beverages only |
| Yarrow | L | In beverages only; finished beverage thujone free |
| Yerba santa | (Hook, et Arn.) Torr |  |
| Yucca, Joshua-tree | Engelm |  |
| Yucca, Mohave | Roezl ex Ortgies ( Sarg.) |  |
| As determined by using the method (or, in other than alcoholic beverages, a suitable adaptation thereof) in section 9.129 of the “Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists,” 13th Ed. (1980), which is incorporated by reference. Copies may be obtained from the AOAC INTERNATIONAL, 481 North Frederick Ave., suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, or may be examined at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: |  |  |

[42 FR 14491, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 43 FR 14644, Apr. 7, 1978; 49 FR 10104, Mar. 19, 1984; 54 FR 24897, June 12, 1989; 69 FR 24511, May 4, 2004; 72 FR 10357, Mar. 8, 2007]