Extraction Technologies for Medicinal and Aromatic ... - Capacity4Dev

EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS
14 Quality Control of Medicinal
and Aromatic Plants and
their Extracted Products by
HPLC and High Performance
Thin Layer Chromatography
Abstract
K. Vasisht
The interest in medicinal plants and their products has increased manifold in recent
years. The increasing public demand for natural medicines has resulted in increased
commercial activity and production of these medicines. There is also increasing concern
for ensuring quality and safety of plant medicines. Plant drugs, unlike active pharmaceutical
ingredients, possess some inherent limitations which deter the process
of laying standards for these drugs. This aspect has received considerable attention
from different quarters including policy planners, scientists and manufacturers. This
paper describes briefl y the roles of high performance thin layer chromatography and
high performance liquid chromatography in quality assurance of plant products. Some
practical aspects of these techniques are also discussed.
14.1 Introduction
The use of medicinal plants products has increased several
fold during the last decades. Individual countries are also giving increasing
emphasis to promote their use under the direction of the World Health Organization
(WHO). Besides this, one fi nds enormous interest in natural products
from the public, which is attributable to several factors. These medicines
are affordable, safer and better tolerated by the biological system.
This has led to an increased consumption and cross-country movement of
raw materials of medicinal plants.
In some parts of the world, e.g. several places in Africa and Asia,
traditional medicines are the only affordable option. On the other hand, the
same medicines are the option of choice in developed nations like Japan and
the United States and in the European States. Despite being the more common
medical option in Africa, use of traditional medicines has not matured to
the expected level. But, some countries in Asia, especially India and China,
have developed them to a level that has benefited all countries of the world.
Europe did not inherit a well-developed traditional system of
medicine but it has put in place the strongest evidence-based and scientifically
supported system of plant medicines. North America is the most prolific
and flamboyant market for plant products, but government regulations are such
that except for select plant drugs most are used as dietary supplements or
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