Why is it required to carry out standardization of herbal extract and herbal products?
Compared with conventional preparation herbal products present a number of unique problems when quality aspects are considered. These arise because of the nature of the herbal ingredients. Which are complex mixture of constituents, and it is well documented that levels of plant constituents can vary considerably depending on the environmental and genetic factors. Furthermore the constituents responsible for the claimed therapeutic effects are frequently unknown or only partly explained. The position is further complicated by the traditional practice of using combinations of herbal ingredients. The reason to standardize herbal extract and herbal product, is to ensure that all herbal products contain the same amount of a plant’s biologically active compounds–the compounds that are believed to have therapeutic effects. This is essential because the levels of plants’ active compounds fluctuate wildly.
