Standardization Strategies for Herbal Drugs-An Overview

Eighty of world population is dependent on herbal drugs and to enter into the global market it is vital to maintain its quality. The quality of herbal drugs is the sum of all factors which contribute directly or indirectly to the safety, effectiveness and acceptability of the product.Standardization of drugs means confirmation of its identity and determination of its quality and purity. Initially the crude drugs were identified by comparison only with the standard description available. At present due to advancement in the chemical knowledge of crude drugs various methods like botanical, chemical, spectroscopic and biological methods are used for estimating active constituents present in the crude drugs in addition to its physical constants.