REVIEW ON QUALITY CONTROL PARAMETERS FOR STANDARDISATION OF HERBAL DRUG

Abstract

The rise in the use of herbal product has also given rise to various forms of abuse and adulteration of the products leading to consumers’ and manufacturers’ disappointment and in some instances fatal consequences. The word “standardized” on a product label is no guarantee of higher product quality, since there is no legal definition of the word “standardized.” Consumers are often left on their own to decide what is safe and effective for them and the lack of consistent labelling on herbal products can be a source of consumer frustration. Certain information such as “the product has been manufactured according to Pharmacopoeia standards,” listing of active ingredients and amounts, directions such as serving quantity (dosage) and frequency of intake of the drug, must be in the label. Herbal drug technology is used for converting botanical materials into medicines, where standardization and quality control with proper integration of modern scientific techniques and traditional knowledge is important. The quality control standards of various medicinal plants used in indigenous system of medicine are becoming more relevant today in view of commercialization of formulations based on medicinal plants. This review seeks to enlighten techniques involved in standardization of crude/finished compound drugs so far, e.g. macroscopic methods, microscopic methods, physical methods, chemical methods, biological methods. Standardization of herbal drugs means confirmation of its identity, quality and purity.