Standardization of herbal formulations: an overview

ABSTRACT

The herbal system of medicine has gained worldwide importance due to its safety and efficacy considerations. Herbal medicines have been used for treating various diseases since ancient times. The present article deals with the importance and method of standardization of herbal medicines in order to ensure their purity, safety and efficacy. A detailed introduction regarding various aspects of the herbal system of medicine and methods of achieving quality of herbal medicine has been presented The various quality control methods recommended by World Health Organization have been described. Effort has also been made to focus on the physical, chemical and biological evaluation to achieve a high standard of quality for herbal medicine