Factors in Quality of Crude Drugs

7/31/2019 Factors in Quality of Crude Drugs

1/13

PharmacognosyUnit 6

on

10/06/2012


2/13

FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE Q.C OF CRUDE DRUGS

Standards of any drug relate to the uniformity in

quality, which are numerical quantities by which thequality of commodities may be assessed.The information upon which standards may be basedis obtained by a study of the genuine drug, themethods used for adulteration and the means adoptedfor the detection of adulterants.While proposing the standards for crude drugs,

several aspects are to be considered aspharmacological standards.


3/13

Compries with..

Structural standardsAnalytical standardStandards relating to physical constant


4/13


5/13

1. Authentication and reproducibility of herbal ingredients

Must be accurately indentified by macroscopical and

microscopical characteristics, comparision withauthentic material or accurate description of authentic herbs.It is essential that herbal ingredients be referred to bytheir binomial Latin names of genus and species.Only permitted synonyms should be used.Even when correctly authenticated, it is important to

realize that different batches of the same herbalingredient may differ in quality to a number of factors.


6/13


7/13

3. Environmental Factors

So many factors relating to climate, altitude,

rainfall and other conditions responsible forgrowth of plants affect the quality of herbalingredients present in a particular species,

even if it is the same country.This results in major variations in the herbalingredients present in some specific species of plants.


8/13

4. Plant parts used

Usually the active constituents vary betweenparts of a plant.It is not uncommon for a herbal ingredients tobe adulterated with the parts of the plant notnormally utilized.The same situation arises when an exhaustedplant part of the same physical apperances aremixed to increase the weight of the suppliedherbal ingredients causing adulteration.


9/13


10/13

6. Post harvesting factors

The treatment of the collected herbal raw materialslike storage, transport etc can greatly effect thequality of a herbal ingredient.Improper storage after collection may result inmicrobial contamination so also the processes suchas drying etc. may result in a loss of thermolabileactive constituents.


11/13

7. Contaminants of herbal products

Herbal material should be free from insect, otheranimal matter and excrete.As it is not possible to make the herbal materialscompletely free from all these contaminants,specification have been set up to limit them.This includes the determination of ash value, whichconstituents the inorganic matter after incineration of that particular herbal ingredient.


12/13

8. Pesticides, fumigants and other toxic metals Herbal materials growing as cultivated crops may becontaminated by DDT or other chlorinated

hydrocarbons, organophosphates, carbamates,ethylene oxide, methylbromide are to control peststhat contaminate the herbal ingredients.Limit tests for acceptable levels of all these

pesticides, fumigants as well as the toxic metals areutmost necessary to control the quality of plantmaterials.To increase the quality of herbal ingredients similarfixation of limits of other contaminants as wellincluding endotoxins, mycotoxins and radio-nuclidesare essential to ensure high quality of therapeuticallypotent medicinal plant


13/13

9. Ecological factors

Documents

Factors in Quality of Crude Drugs