Traditional Approach Towards Standardization of Herbal Drug: A Review with Simple Polyherbal Formulation
Author
Patil Karuna , Karan Vitthalsing , Shah Mustakim, Shaikh Sufiyan Ahemad
Abstract
Herbal medicines have been used since ancient times for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Traditional medicinal systems such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani largely depend upon medicinal plants and herbal formulations for healthcare management. Due to increasing global acceptance of herbal medicines, standardization of herbal drugs has become essential for ensuring quality, purity, safety, and therapeutic efficacy. Herbal formulations often show variations in chemical composition due to differences in geographical location, climate, cultivation methods, harvesting conditions, drying, storage, and processing techniques. Therefore, proper standardization is necessary to maintain consistency and therapeutic value.The present review focuses on the traditional approach towards standardization of herbal drugs along with preparation and evaluation of a simple polyherbal powder formulation in a basic pharmacy laboratory. A polyherbal formulation containing Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Neem (Azadirachta indica), and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) was prepared using simple laboratory methods and evaluated using traditional standardization techniques.The study included organoleptic evaluation, moisture content determination, ash value determination, extractive value analysis, pH determination, and preliminary phytochemical screening. The prepared formulation showed acceptable organoleptic and physicochemical properties. Phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of important bioactive constituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and carbohydrates.Traditional standardization methods were found to be simple, economical, and suitable for basic pharmacy laboratories. These techniques play a major role in authentication and quality control of herbal drugs. The study concludes that proper standardization is necessary for ensuring safety, quality, consistency, and effectiveness of herbal medicines.
Keywords
Herbal drug, Standardization, Polyherbal formulation, Tulsi, Neem, Turmeric, Physicochemical evaluation, Phytochemical screening.
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References
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