Herbal medicines are gaining popularity in the modern world for their ability
to treat a wide range of ailments while having fewer side effects and greater therapeutic
properties. However, there are many limitations when it comes to delivering active
phytomolecules to the target site, including solubility of ingredients, susceptibility to
degradation in the presence of gastric and colonic acidity, diminished metabolic
efficacy attributable to gut microflora, inadequate absorption across the intestinal
epithelium, suboptimal active efflux mechanisms, and susceptibility to first-pass
metabolism. As a result, medication concentrations in the blood are below therapeutic
levels, resulting in reduced or no therapeutic impact. With the rising popularity and
potential therapies of herbal medicines over the last several decades, there has been a
lot of attention paid to the new drug delivery method of active phytomolecules. Novel
herbal drug carriers treat certain diseases by precisely targeting the diseased zone
within a patient's body and delivering the medication there. Novel drug delivery
systems have the benefit of administering herbal medicines at a preset rate and at the
site of action, reducing adverse effects and increasing drug bioavailability. Controlling
drug distribution in new drug delivery technology is accomplished by integrating the
drug into a carrier system or altering the drug's structure at the molecular level. The
integration of herbal drugs into the delivery system facilitates improvements in
solubility, stability enhancement, toxicity mitigation, potentiation of pharmacological
activity, optimized distribution among tissue macrophages, sustained release kinetics,
and protection against physical and chemical degradation, thereby aligning with key
principles in pharmaceutical formulation. The purpose of this chapter is to offer an overview of several forms of novel drug delivery systems that incorporate active
components, as well as their potential therapeutic and clinical benefit.
Keywords: Herbal medicine, Herbal extract, Novel drug delivery system, Nanoparticles, Therapeutic effects.
