Herbal Drugs and Fingerprints

Evidence based herbal drugs are on hi-acceptance day by day due to health friendly nature compared to synthetic drugs. The active ingredients in herbal drugs are different chemical classes, e.g. alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, steroids, terpenes etc., are identified at molecular level using current analytical practices, which are unique characteristic, as finger, so known as fingerprints. The fingerprints are used for assessment of quality consistency and stability by visible observation and comparison of the standardized fingerprint pattern, have scientific potential to decipher the claims made on these drugs for authenticity and reliability of chemical constituents, with total traceability, which starts from the proper identification, season and area of collection, storage, their processing, stability during processing, and rationalizing the combinational in case of polyherbal drugs. These quality oriented documents have ample scientific logics so well accepted globally by regulatory authorities and industries, to determine intentional/ unintentional contamination, adulteration, pollutants, stability, quality, etc. parameters. Based on geo-climatic factors, a same plant species has different pharmacological properties due to different ingredients; such regional and morphological variations are identified by fingerprints, at the time of collection of the medicinal herb. The chromatographic (TLC, HPTLC, HPLC, GC,) and spectral (UV-Vis., FTIR, MNR, MS, LC-MS, GC-MS etc.) techniques have world-wide strong scientific approval as validated methods to generate the fingerprints of different chemical classes of active ingredients of herbal drugs. Presently there is a need for a book having all the fingerprinting techniques for herbal drugs at a place with theory, case studies and art to discover patentable forms. The present book is a mile stone in the subject, to be utilized by Scientists, Medical Doctors, Technicians, Industrialists, Researchers, and Students both in PG and UG levels.

D.D. Joshi, Ph.D., Chemistry (Organic), presently Asst. Director, Amity Institute of Phytochemistry & Phytomedicine, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, since March 2005, having 20 years vast experience in R&D, QC, QA, scale-up from R&D to Pilot Plant to commercial production of standardized herbal extracts and pure phytochemicals, nutraceuticals, cosmaceuticals and essential oils, using GLPs, WHO-GMP, ISO 9001-2000 certified facilities, in different organizations with different job profiles (technical services to international customers, consumers, regulatory affairs) on different herbal based products. Extraction and purification of herbal ingredients with different techniques use of hi-tech analytical instruments to decipher in ingredients, analytical process development and validation of the developed process, are the area of interest of Author. Before joining Amity group, Author has served with Sunita Minechem, as R&D + QC manager, Sanat Products Ltd, as Analytical Development Scientist, and Scientist in Alchem International Ltd, after Ph.D. from ITRC Lucknow, India. He has through-out first class academic career with 20 research publications, 32 patents, two authored books, beside other industrial activities. At present he is actively engaged with academics as PI with two, and Co-PI with four Govt. financed R&D projects, Ph.D. Supervisor, and Patent Coordinator to Amity Group.