HERB

It consists of entire plant or any part of the

plant like leaves, flowers, fruits, roots and
rhizomes, bark, tubers, stems and branches
HERBAL DRUG

 These consist of plants or any part of plants, usually in

unprocessed or crude forms (crude drug) which have medicinal
value.
 They include different parts of plant like entire aerial part,
flowers, fruits, seeds, bark, leaves, roots, rhizomes etc The
constituents and their therapeutic activity may be known or
unknown.
.
HERBAL MEDICINAL PRODUCTS (FINISHED HERBAL PRODUCTS)

 These are the medicinal products which contain exclusive herbal

drugs or herbal drug preparations which are made from one or
more herbs.
 It includes various herbal formulations like tablets, syrups,
capsules, semisolid dosage forms, etc.
 They may contain excipients in addition to active ingredients.
HERBAL DRUG PREPARATION
 They are processed form of herbs.

 They are derived from herbal drugs by various

techniques like extraction, fractionalization,
purification, concentration, fermentation and
may be in the form of powders, extracts,
tinctures, fixed oils, volatile oils, resins, gums,
etc.

 They contain a mixture of various constituents.

However pure isolated compounds do not come
under this category.
SOURCE OF HERBS
Herbs or medicinal plants can be obtained from two sources viz:-
a) Wild source b) Cultivated source

a) Wild source
 The plants are obtained from the wild source such as forests,
plains, river banks, etc, where they are found in their wild form.
 Collection from wild sources is suitable for plants which are
abundant in nature and are easily available.
 Obtaining herbs from a wild source is easy, economical, less time
consuming, and has a decreased cost of labour, however it also
offers various disadvantages such as the quality of the plants
cannot be predicted due to various environmental changes.
 The plants will not be uniform in their growth and yielding
characteristics.
 Modern scientific techniques cannot be applied to increase the
yield as well as quality.
 If the plants are obtained continuously from wild sources for
prolonged periods it may lead to depletion of raw materials from
the wild.
b) Cultivated source

In recent times, medicinal plants have been systematically cultivated

by applying modern scientific techniques.
Obtaining herbs from cultivated sources offer various advantages
which are as follows.

 Quality and purity is ensured.

 Better yield and more profit
 Ensures regular supply of raw material
 Application of modern scientific techniques is possible.
STEPS INVOLVED IN THE SELECTION, IDENTIFICATION, AND PROCESSING OF
HERBAL RAW MATERIALS
Herbs are subjected to various stages starting from their selection,
identification, cultivation, collection, storage and processing until the final
product is formed.
The detailed steps involved in the processing of herbal drugs are discussed
below.
Steps involved in processing of Herbal Drugs

Selection of Herbs
↓
Identification & Authentication
↓
Cultivation of Herbs
↓
Collection of Herbs
↓
Processing of Herbal Raw Material
a)Selection of herbs

The species or botanical variety selected for

cultivation should be the same as specified in
the official Pharmacopoeia or national
documents.
In case of newly introduced medicinal plants,
the variety selected for cultivation should be
identified and documented
b) Identification and authentication of herbal materials

Botanical identity
The species, subspecies, genus, variety etc of the plant for
cultivation should be verified from a qualified botanist/ institute
and recorded.
Specimens
In case of a new plant with medicinal properties whose identity
is not known, a specimen el the plant should be submitted to a
regional national herbarium for identification and
documentation.
Seeds and other propagation materials
The suppliers of seeds and other propagation materials should
specify all the necessary information relating to the identity,
quality as well as their breeding history. The seeds and
propagation material should be free from contamination and
diseases in order to promote healthy plant growth
Cultivation of medicinal plants

 Cultivation of medicinal plants requires intensive care and

management as various factors such as environment, soil,
irrigation, pests, etc, play a vital role. These factors vary from
one plant to another.

 Scientific documented methods should be followed, if no data

available traditional methods should be adopted and a systematic
method should be developed through research Good agricultural
practices in cultivation (GACP) and conservation agriculture
(CA) which aims to improve, conserve and make more efficient
use of natural resources.
PROCESSING OF HERBAL RAW MATERIALS

 Processing of herbal raw materials involves various stages from which the crude drugs
undergo after harvesting.
 It can be classified into primary and secondary processing which are further sub
categorized as follows:-
Primary processing
1. Garbling
2. Washing
3. Parboiling
4. Leaching
5. Drying
Secondary Processing
1. Cutting/sectioning
2. Aging/sweating
3. Baking/roasting
4. Boiling/steaming
5. Stir frying
6. Fumigation
7. Extraction
1. Garbling (Sorting)

 This process helps in ensuring the purity and cleanliness of the harvested
material.
 Dirt like soil, dust, impurities like insects, dead tissues and residual non
medicinal plants are separated from the raw material.
 The process depends on the part of the plant to be prepared.
 The process may involve procedures such as removing dirt and foreign
substances, discarding damaged parts, peeling of barks, sieving, trimming,
removal of hairs from roots, removal of seeds from fruits, stripping of leaves
from stems.
 This may be done by mechanical means but in some cases it is usually
performed manually by hands.

2. Washing
 After garbling the herbal raw material should be cleaned well to remove the
traces remaining soil, dirt and other impurities from the surface.
 The roots, rhizomes and tubers are washed with clean water.
 During the washing process, scraping and brushing may be necessary.
3. Parboiling (Blanching)

 After washing, certain herbal raw materials need to undergo a parboiling process in
which they are put in boiling water for a short period.
 This may help in improving the storage of the raw material and prevent
insect/mould contamination.
 It may also facilitate in further processing such as removal of stubborn impurities
as well as outer coats/ covering of raw materials.

4. Leaching

 Some impurities can be removed by subjecting the plant material under running
water known as leaching.
 However the duration of leaching should be controlled to prevent loss of chemical
constituents present in the drug.
5. Drying

 In some cases, the plant material should be thoroughly dried after washing in
order to prevent the deterioration and degradation of active constituents.
 They must be dried as soon as possible to remove moisture and reduce the
damage due to microbial or mould infestation.
 Drying also prevents the activation of certain enzymes which may otherwise
degrade the active ingredients and also facilitate grinding and milling of
the raw material.
 Depending on the drug and nature of ingredients, different drying methods can
be used which are as follows:
 Natural drying
 Sun drying
 Most herbal raw material can be dried in open air under direct sunshine
provided the climate is suitable.
 The duration of the drying process depends on the physical structure of the
plant material and weather conditions.
 The plant material should be spread out in thin layers, care should be taken to
prevent contamination by dust impurities.
 While drying the plant material should also be protected from insects, birds
rodents, pests and other domestic animals.
Shade drying:

 Some medicinal plants cannot be directly exposed to sunlight, hence one to be

dried under shade.
 This drying process is slow but helps in minimizing loss color, volatile oils and
aromatic components from being evaporated.

Artificial drying

 Drying by artificial heat is more rapid than open air drying and is necessary in
rainy season and regions where there is high humidity.
 The temperature and equipment used for drying depends on the physical and
chemical nature of the drug and its constituents.
 Various equipment such as tray dryers, spray dryers, vacuum dryers are used.
 Overheating may lead to excessive loss of volatile components as well as
decomposition of chemical constituents.
 The temperature should be kept below 60°C wherever possible.
B) SECONDARY PROCESSING

 It refers to the steps applied to herbs in addition to primary processing.

 The secondary processing differs from one herb to another depending on the nature
of active ingredients as well as therapeutic properties.
 Secondary processing includes techniques such as removal of foreign substances,
prevention of microbial/ infestation, enhancing the efficacy of drugs, reducing the
toxicity, extraction using suitable solvents, concentration and drying of extracts.
 These are further standardized by different methods

The following processes are carried out in the secondary processing of herbal raw
materials.
Cutting Sectioning and Communition
 After thoroughly drying, the herbal materials are processed by cutting and
sectioning into smaller sizes which are convenient for storage as well as
extraction.
 Various sizes can be obtained depending on the part of herb and extraction
methods used.
 It may be small particles, coarse powder or fine powder.
Aging/ Sweating

 Aging refers to storing the raw material for a specified time after harvesting It
is generally done under sun or in shade for up to a year.
 During the process of aging excessive water is evaporated and enzymatic
reactions may occur to alter the chemical composition of herbal material.
Example: Cascara bark should be aged for at least one year prior to use in
medicinal preparations to reduce its irritant effects.
 Sweating is done by subjecting the herbal materials at a temperature between
45 to 65 with high humidity for a period ranging from one week to few
months.
 The herbal materials are stacked between woollen blankets or other kind of
cloth.
 The sweating process is considered a hydrolytic and oxidative process in
which some of the chemical ingredients of the herbs are hydrolysed or
oxidised.
Vanilla beans are subjected to sweating between woollen blankets for about 2
months during which they lose up to 80% of weight and develop a characteristic
desirable colour and odour.
 Baking/ Roasting

 It is a process of drug heating where the herbal material is heated in ovens.

 The temperature of heating and duration of baking/ roasting vary from one
herbal material to another until the drug develops a specific color.
 Example: Nutmeg is roasted till they turn to a yellowish brown color.
 Boiling Steaming

 In the boiling process the drug is cooked in water or any other

liquid solvent such vinegar, wine, milk or animal urine.
 Example: Acorus calamus rhizome is boiled in cows urine
to enhance its anticonvulsant effects.
 In the steaming process the herbal material is kept in contact
with steam using a steamer resulting in development of moist
texture.
 Example: Roots of Polygonum multiforum are steamed in
the presence of black bean decoction to enhance its tonic
effects
 “Vacha”, “Medhya”,

. doi: 10.3390/jcm9041176
HeShouWu,
Stir frying
 It is a process in which the herbal materials are put in a pot of frying
pan and continuously stirred or tossed for a specific period under
heat until the external colour changes, charred or even carbonized.

 To facilitate uniform heating the drug material can be admixed with

sand, talc or clay.
Example: Liquorice roots and rhizomes are stir fried with honey.
Fumigation
 Sometimes the harvested raw materials are subjected to fumes.
 Fumigation with sulphur dioxide is commonly employed for some medicinal herbs
for the purpose of preserving colour, improved appearance, bleaching and
preventing the growth of insects and moulds.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115250
Extraction of herbal materials

 Extraction is a process of separation in which the chemical constituents present in

plants and tissues are removed by using selective solvents which are called as
menstruum.
 Herbal extracts include infusions, decoctions, fluid extracts, tinctures and powdered
extracts.
 The herbal preparation so obtained may be ready for use as a medicinal agent or it
may be further processed to finished products as tablets, capsules and pills.

i. Infusion
It is a liquid preparation obtained by extracting herbal materials with either cold or
hot water without boiling. Other solvents may also be used.
ii. Decoction
It is a liquid preparation obtained by boiling the herbal materials with water.
iii. Fluid extract
It is a liquid preparation obtained by maceration or percolation of herbal materials in
alcohol. The ratio will be one part of liquid containing one part of herbs (1:1).
iv. Tinctures
It is a dilute alcoholic extract of herbal materials typically made up of 1 part of herbal
material with 5 to 10 parts of the solvent
v. Powdered extract
It is a form of herbal preparation which is processed into dried, granulated or
powdered materials