The quality control of medicinal agents derived from natural sources is of
paramount in ensuring safety and efficacy. The major hindrance in the acceptance of
herbal medicines into modern medical practices is the lack of scientific and clinical
data on the safety and efficacy of the herbal products. In general, there is a lack of strict
guideline for quality control of herbal medicinal products used for the treatment of
various human diseases. In recent years, due to enormous increased interest in herbal
medicine, we need strict quality control parameters for safe and efficacious herbal
medicine. Several quality control parameters (e.g. organoleptic, morphological,
physico-chemical, chromatographic and toxic substances) are mentioned in
Pharmacopoeias like Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP), British Herbal Pharmacopoeia (BHP),
Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) and WHO guidelines etc. Chromatographic
techniques, such as TLC, HPTLC, HPLC, GC-MS; and toxic substances such as
aflatoxins, heavy metals, pesticide residues, microbial load determinations, are
important parameters considered for quality control of herbal drugs. This book chapter
provides a critical overview of different quality control parameters of herbal drug,
which are necessary for compliance of regulatory guidelines of several developing and
developed countries.
Keywords: HPTLC, Herbal Products, Pharmacopoeia, Quality Control,
Standardization, WHO Guidelines.
