FORMULATING HERBAL MEDICINES USING PHARMACOGNOSY: STANDARDIZATION AND STABILITY
The use of plant-based herbal medicine is an ancient practice across the globe since the medicines were used to promote health and cure illnesses. As the demand of natural therapeutics increases in the entire world, stability and standardization in the formulation of herbal medicine becomes more significant. Science of pharmacognosy, the study of the substances of plants is of great essence in the production of herbal medicines; this is due to the fact that the bioactive components are elucidated and the therapeutic impacts of these components are familiar. The standardization also ensures that the herbal products are of standard quality, strength, and safety which is examining the nature of variability of plant materials. Stability tests also make sure that herbal preparations do not lose their efficacy and safety in storage and exposure to various environmental factors. This review justifies the importance of pharmacognosy to the development of herbal medicine with a special reference to the process of standardization, stability testing and the challenge in the maintenance of the quality of herbs. HPLC, GC-MS and metabolomics are highlighted as high-order analysis methods that can be used in the achievement of consistent and reliable herbal preparations. The paper brings out the significance of globally uniform procedures and regulations to achieve safe and efficient use of herbal medicines in the current medical care system.