Quality and regulatory affairs of herbal drugs: A world-wide Review
Authors/Creators
- 1. Sr ikrupa Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vil. Velkatta, Kondapak (mdl), Dist. Medak, Siddipet, Andhra Pradesh – 502 277. 1Pydha College of Pharmacy, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.
Description
Herbal medicine is still the mainstay of about 75 - 80% of the world
population, mainly in the developing countries, for primary health care. This
is primarily because of the general belief that herbal drugs are without any
side effects besides being cheap and locally available. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), the use of herbal remedies throughout
the world exceeds that of the conventional drugs by two to three times. This
review highlights the current advances in knowledge about the safety,
efficacy, quality control, marketing and regulatory aspects of botanical
medicines. Phytotherapeutic agents are standardized herbal preparations
consisting of complex mixtures of one or more plants which contain as
active ingredients plant parts or plant material in the crude or processed
state. Regulatory affairs and clinical trails should be made on herbal drugs to
improve their availability.