ENSURING AUTHENTICITY OF HERBAL DRUGS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON SUBSTITUTION AND ADULTERATION

Abstract

Background: Herbal drugs form an important component of traditional systems like Ayurveda and are widely used due to their therapeutic efficacy and natural origin. However, variability in raw materials, processing methods, and environmental factors often affects their quality, safety, and effectiveness. Lack of proper standardisation leads to issues such as adulteration, contamination, and inconsistency in herbal formulations. Aim: To critically review the concept, importance, methods, and challenges involved in the standardisation of herbal drugs. Objectives: To understand the need for standardisation of herbal drugs. To study different parameters used in quality evaluation. To analyze modern and classical approaches for standardisation. To identify issues related to adulteration and variability. Materials and Methods: This study is based on a comprehensive review of literature collected from classical Ayurvedic texts such as Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridaya, along with published research articles, WHO guidelines, pharmacognosy textbooks, and review papers. Relevant data were compiled and critically analyzed focusing on identification, authentication, physicochemical, phytochemical, chromatographic, and microbiological evaluation methods used in herbal drug standardisation. Results: The review highlights that standardisation of herbal drugs involves multiple parameters including organoleptic, microscopic, physicochemical, and phytochemical evaluation. Advanced techniques such as TLC, HPTLC, HPLC, and GC-MS play a crucial role in identification and quality control. WHO guidelines emphasize assessment of identity, purity, safety, and efficacy at all stages from raw material to finished product. Despite available methods, challenges like adulteration, lack of uniform standards, and variability in plant sources continue to affect quality assurance. Conclusion: Standardisation is essential to ensure the safety, efficacy, and consistency of herbal drugs. Integration of traditional knowledge with modern analytical techniques and strict regulatory guidelines is necessary for improving global acceptance and therapeutic reliability of herbal medicines.