ABSTRACT
Shelf life determination of herbal medicines is of paramount importance as it relates to activity of constituents of theproduct. This work sought to determine shelf life of four herbal products (Nibima, Asena, Lippia tea, and NPK 500capsules). The method involved the determination of marker content of products (three batches each) at time points(0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months) at storage temperature and humidity of 30°C ± 2°C/70% RH ± 5% RH using highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. Batch blending was employed for preparation of referencesamples of products. In UV analyses, λmax of 289, 291, 327, and 289 nm were obtained from spectra for (Nibima,Asena, Lippia tea, and NPK 500 capsules, respectively. A common 230 nm UV marker was observed for all theproducts. Optimized HPLC conditions were developed for products using methanol: water: 0.1%v/v acetic acidsystem with mobile phase ratios of 9:0:1 (Nibima), 7:2:1 (Asena), 8:1:1 (Lippia tea), and 90:5:5 (NPK 500 capsules).Wavelength of detection used for HPLC analyses were 283, 290, 332, and 290 nm for Nibima, Asena, Lippia tea, andNPK 500 capsules, respectively. HPLC marker content analyses with time produced shelf life of 23.14, 21.16, 62.97and 32.91 months for Nibima, Asena, Lippia tea, and NPK 500 capsules, respectively. Obtained shelf life indicatesrelative stability of products.
ABSTRACT
The study aimed to develop oral capsules from Enterica herbal decoction used in Ghana for the treatment of typhoid fever and produced by the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine (CSRPM). The amount of dry extract per dose (30ml) of Enterica and the wavelength of maximum absorption (λmax) of aqueous solutions of Enterica extract were determined. Light magnesium carbonate (LMC) and maize starch (MS) were employed as absorbents at various concentrations in the preparation of granules of the extract. The % loss in weight, size distribution and flow properties of the granules were evaluated. Enterica oral capsules were formulated using LMC at 22 mg/dose of extract and the dissolution properties of the granules and capsules were determined by UV-VIS spectrophotometry. The dry Enterica extract/dose was 190.1 ± 0.12 mg and λmax was 356 nm. The loss of granules was 2.07-7.31 %w/w for LMC and 2.73-7.81 %w/w for MS. LMC granules (22 mg/dose) prepared for encapsulation exhibited good flow properties. The granules for encapsulation exhibited optimal release of extract (86.08 ± 1.64 % at 45 min) in aqueous medium. The formulated capsules passed the British Pharmacopoeia uniformity of weight, disintegration and dissolution tests. Enterica oral capsules can be used as a substitute for Enterica decoction for the treatment of typhoid fever.