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The Use Of Quality Control Parameters In The Evaluation Of Vegetable Crude Drugs
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Extractive
values: These are indicative weights of the extractable chemical
constituents of crude drug under different solvents environment.
Crude fibre: This helps to determine the woody material component, and it is a criterion for judging purity.
Qualitative
chemical evaluation: This covers identification and characterization of
crude drug with respect to phytochemical constituent. It employs
different analytical technique to detect and isolate the active
constituents. Phytochemical screening techniques involve botanical
identification, extraction with suitable solvents, purification, and
characterization of the active constituents of pharmaceutical
importance.
Chromatographic examination: Include identification of crude drug based on the use of major chemical constituents as markers.
Quantitative chemical evaluation: To estimate the amount of the major classes of constituents.
Solubility:
The solubility, especially exceptional behaviour towards solvent, is
useful in examination of many oils and oleo-resins.
Physical
Constituents: Physical constituents such as specific gravity, optical
rotation, viscosity, and refractive index are especially valuable for
the evaluation of fats, oleo-resins, balsams and similar substances.
Swelling Index: It measures the swelling property of the medicinal plants.
Volatile Oils: It covers the measurement of the volatile content of the plant.
Bitterness
Value: The bitter properties of the plant materials are determined by
comparing the threshold bitter concentration of an extract of the
materials with that of a dilute soluble of guanine hydrochloride.
Hemolytic
Activity: The hemolytic activity of a plant materials, or a preparation
containing saponins, is determined by comparison with that of a
reference material, saponin.
Foaming Index: The foaming ability of an
aqueous decoction of plant materials and their extracts is measured in
terms of a foaming index.
Pesticide Residue: It measures the pesticide residues in the plant.
Arsenic
and Heavy Metals: Contamination of medicinal plant materials with
arsenic and heavy metals can be attributed to many causes including
environmental pollution and traces of pesticides.
Microorganisms:
Current practices of harvesting, handling and production may cause
additional contamination and microbial growth.
Aflatoxins: Minute presence in crude drug can be toxic and hence their presence is being tested.
DNA
Fingerprinting: Technique is useful for identification of
phytochemically indistinguishable genuine drugs from substituted or
adulterated drugs.
Chemical Fingerprinting: To allow the detection of all the components in the extracts.
Biological
Profiling: It identifies the biologically active plants allowing highly
sophisticated standardization and quality control.
Radioactive
Contamination: A certain amount of exposure to ionizing radiation cannot
be avoided since they are many sources including radionuclides occuring
naturally in the ground and atmosphere.
Toxicological Studies: To
help determine pesticide residue, potentially toxic elements, safety
studies in animals like LD50 and microbial count approach to ascertain
their presence or absence.
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