Crude Drug Adulteration

Crude drugs are unprocessed natural drugs that are used for different treatment purposes. As we know that crude drugs are obtained from natural sources so these can easily be adulterated. The crude drug adulteration may be intentionally or unintentionally, whatever the reason may be, the adulteration is not good ethically and scientifically as well.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are hydrophobic aromatic compounds extracted from plants and are volatile in nature. Essential oils contain aroma or essence of the plant from which these are derived.

Classification Of Crude Drugs

Crude drugs are those substances that are obtained from natural sources and are used for treatment or prevention of different diseases without chemical modification of these substances. Mean crude drugs are used in natural form without any modification.

Clove And Constituents Of Clove

Clove is a naturally occurring plant and is used for kitchen recipes and also used as natural medicine for treating various conditions.

Appearance

The colour of the clove is reddish-brown and is available in both whole clove and ground clove forms.

Its ground form or ground clove is a fine powder and in the whole form or whole clove , is long in shape having a crown at one end.

Ginger | Constituents Of Ginger

Ginger is one of the most important natural herbal drugs which is commonly used as a spice and also has medicinal use. Every one of us is very well familiar with ginger because it is a commonly used kitchen item, but apart from its use in food, it is also used for various medicinal purposes as well.

In this article, we will discuss various pharmacognostic features of ginger, its uses and interactions as well.

Other Names Of Ginger

Other common names of ginger are given as below,

• Zingibere

• Rhizoma zingiberis

• African ginger

• Race ginger

In Pakistan, it is known as "Adrak".

The Latin word zingiber mean deer's horn because it resembles with horns of the deer.

Aromatherapy Using Essential Oils

Aromatherapy is the type of holistic therapy in which essential oils or aromatic compounds of plants are used to improve physiological and emotional health.

Or in simple words, it is the treatment using scents.

It can also be defined as the type of therapy in which aromatic extracts from plants are used to improve health.

Origin  Of Aromatherapy

This term was introduced by Grattefosse in 1928. He accidentally discovered that aromatic oils have healing effects. He was working in a lab and his hand was burnt. He suddenly put his hand in lavender oil and noticed that lavender oil had a healing effect on his hand. Essential oils were also used in world war II for treating injured persons.

In recent years with advancements in techniques, it is proved experimentally that aroma or scent or essential oils have a direct effect on the human brain just like medicines.

What Are Essential Oils

Essential oils are the scents or aromas extracted from different parts of plants. This oil can be extracted from the following parts,

• Flowers 

• Leaves

• Barks

• Seeds

• Fruit etc

Essential oils are a mixture of many complex and small compounds like ketones, ester, terpenes etc.

Essential oil consists of very tiny droplets and can penetrate the skin easily and enter into the bloodstream.

Essential oils have therapeutic and physiological effects.

Effects Of Essential Oils

Essential oils have the following properties,

• Healing effect

• Antiseptic effect

• Anti Inflammatory effect

• Antiviral 

• Relaxing effect

• Improve digestion 

• Pain killer

Mechanism Of Action Of Aroma Oil

As we discussed earlier that the smell has a direct effect on the brain, here will discuss how it acts to give the required effect.

• When we experience any smell or aroma it enters the nose and comes in contact with cilia in the nose. The receptors in cilia are attached to the olfactory lobe which is situated at the end of the smell tract. This end tract is attached to the brain.

• So smell through cilia is transferred to the brain in the form of electrical impulses and reaches the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system is associated with moods, learning, memory and emotions.

Examples Of Essential Oils

Following are some main examples of essential oils,

• Lavender oil

• Lemon oil

• Rosemary oil

• Peppermint oil

Method Of Application

Essential oils are safe to use and can be applied as follow,

• Application To Skin

• Ingestion

• Inhalation

Application To Skin

The use of these oils by applying on the skin is very common and easy because essential oils penetrate the skin easily and enter into blood circulation.

Some people may be sensitive to these oils so it is recommended to use aromatic oils in the form of dilutions. This means it is mixed with some carrier oil and then is applied to the skin.

Essential oils can be applied in the form of perfumes, cologne or ointments.

By mixing these oils in carrier oils or honey it can be used for bathtub or foot baths

Inhalation.

The essential oil can be used in the form of aerosols through the nose or throat for treating respiratory problems. It gives rapid effect through this route. 

Also Read

Evaluation Of Crude Drugs

Crude Drugs | Evaluation Of Crude Drugs

Crude drugs are the raw form of natural drugs derived from natural sources like plants, animals, or microbes.

As the name indicates crude mean in real form mean without modification so we can define crude drugs as follow,

The pure form of the drug collected from natural sources without human changes is known as a crude drug.

The only change in the crude drug may be the process of drying means after collection these are dried to protect from the microbial growth.

History 

In the early days when no dosage form was developed the human being used to eat natural plants, herbs, or some parts of animals for treatment.Later on with evaluation of technology these crude drugs were used for manufacturing of different extracts of drugs and later on synthetic method was used to produce molecules similar to the crude drugs.

So the Study of crude drugs or pharmacognosy played an important role in development of modern drug dosage forms.

Identification Of Crude Drugs 

Identification of crude drugs can be done by the following method,

Organoleptic Properties

Identification or evaluation of the crude drugs by organoleptic properties means to recognize the natural drugs by using natural senses like taste, touch, smell, sight etc.

As we know that crude drugs are natural drugs and most of them are from plants so these drugs are identified by using natural senses and help in the identification of a specific drug from a combination of different drugs.

It is also helpful for the collection of drugs because most drugs are easily identified by natural senses.

During the study, a pharmacognosist is provided with crude drugs to identify. Usually, a box containing crude drugs is present in the pharmacognosy lab and students are trained to identify different drugs based on size, shape, colour, smell etc.

Standard appearance and morphology of each drug are given in standard books and sometimes the colour or shape of a drug may vary from standard due to some variations in actual conditions.

For example, the colour of a drug may vary if it is exposed to sunlight.

Some crude drugs can easily be identified by the shape like clove and some have a sweet taste like glycyrrhiza and are identified by taste easily.

Evaluation Of Crude Drug

Evaluation is a broader term that is used to identify the drug and to check the activity of active constituents and their activity in crude drugs.The process of evaluation is also used to identify adulterants in the drugs.

For evaluation following are used,

• Organoleptic Properties

• Microscopic Study

• Biological Study

• Chemical Analysis

• Physical Analysis

Microscopic Study

Microscopic examination is used for the evaluation of many crude drugs. This technique is used to evaluate crude drugs under a microscope.In  this technique the drug is first converted into  powder form or small pieces or slices to check specific arrangements due to magnification.

Biological Evaluation 

When a drug is identified we may convert it into powder form and we have to determine its pharmacological effect.

For this purpose usually, crude drugs are applied to living organisms like bacteria etc. The results are compared with standard drugs and this process is known as biological evaluation.

Chemical Evaluation

In chemical methods of evaluation different chemical techniques are used to evaluate drug activity. For chemical evaluation, different tests and instruments are used to evaluate the active components of the drug.

 

Physical Factors

Physical factors like moisture contents, density, viscosity, solubility, melting point and boiling etc have also an impact on drug activity and are studied to evaluate the drug.

Moisture content in crude drugs may result in contamination so moisture content is checked by dying the sample at 150 °C.

Also Read 

Collection Of Crude Drugs

Cultivation,Propagation,Collection And Drying Of Crude Drugs

Cultivation is the process in which soil is cut or dug and rearranged for better and improved plant growth.

The crude drugs which are widely used in home remedies or in industries for medicinal purposes are cultivated in a better way to get more constituents from the plant.

Benefits Of Cultivation 

Following are benefits of cultivation,

• Cultivation results in the production of high quality crude medicinal plants.

• If we give attention during cultivation and use proper methods to remove weeds then the crude drug obtained is free from contamination.

• Cultivation results in better quality therapeutic constituents.

• Cultivation results in improved growth.

• Cultivation results in an increased yield of medicinal plants.

• By using advanced cultivation techniques improved hybrids can be achieved.

• Cultivation ensures a uniform supply of material and does not result in a shortage.

Factors Affecting Cultivation

When plants grow in wild conditions there is a variation of growth and secondary metabolites. Cultivation is used to grow plants under specific conditions and the following factors may affect cultivation,

• Altitude

• Temperature

• Soil Condition

• Rainfall

• Soil Fertility

• Day Length

• Daylight

• Air pollution

• Herbicide

Consideration For Cultivation

• Soil plays an important role in the growth of plants so before cultivation proper soil study is done and its physical, chemical and microbiological properties are studied.

• The water holding capacity of soil is also kept in mind.

• If we have well-balanced soil and bad seed it will also ruin our crop so the seeds used should be of high quality.

• The seeds used should be botanically traceable.

• If we use genetically modified seeds then these seeds should meet regulatory criteria.

• The seeds used should be free from disease.

• Nowadays disease-resistant seeds are used.

Plant Propagation

It is the process in which a new plant is grown from seeds or by cutting different plant parts.

Two methods are used for plant propagation which is as follow,

• Sexual Propagation

• Asexual Propagation

Sexual Propagation

• It is also known as a seedling and it is the process in which new plants are grown from the seeds.

• In simple words in this method of propagation seeds are used to grow more plants.

Qualities Of Seed For Propagation

The seeds used for propagation methods must have the following properties

• It should have a high germination rate.

• Seed should be free from disease and insects.

• It should be free from other seeds.

Methods Of Sowing The Seeds

Different methods are used to sew the seed some are given as below,

• Broadcasting Method

• Dibbling Method

• Miscellaneous Method

Broadcasting Method

• The broadcasting method is a very important method used for sowing seeds and it is used when seeds are very small in size.

• In the broadcasting method seeds are scattered over the well-prepared soil.

• In a broadcasting method, it is ensured that seeds are not deeply covered by soil because if it happens then the seed will not germinate.

Examples 

Example of seeds sown by the broadcasting method is as follow,

• Sesame Seeds

• Isabgol Seeds

Dibbling Method

It is also an important method used for growing medicinal plants and this method is used when we have medium-size seeds.

In this dibbling  method, seeds are placed in holes and covered by soil by keeping a proper distance between two holes.

Three to five seeds are placed in a hole and the number of seeds placed in a hole depends on the nature of the plant and our requirements.

Example

• Four to five fennel seeds are placed in a hole for good plant growth.

Miscellaneous Method

In these methods, the seeds are first grown in a nursery and when small branches come out known as seedlings then these are grown in main farms.

Examples

• Cardamom

• Capsicum

• Clove

Advantages Of Seed Propagation

Following are some main advantages of seedlings.

• These are long-lived.

• Easy to grow.

• This method is cheap.

Dis-Advantages Of Seed Propagation

Following are some drawbacks of seed propagation,

• Plants grown by this method of propagation are not uniform in growth.

• Plants grown by this method of propagation are not uniform in yield.

• Require more time to grow

Vegetative Propagation

It is also known as asexual propagation.

Vegetative propagation is the process in which vegetative parts of the plant are used to grow a new plant. In this method, vegetative parts are placed in such a condition that it results in the development of new plants.

Usually, stem or roots are used.

Types Of Vegetative Propagation

There are three types of vegetative propagation which are as follow,

• Natural Vegetative Propagation

• Artificial Vegetative  Propagation

• Micropropagation or Tissue Culture

Natural Vegetative Propagation

In this method of vegetative propagation, the vegetative parts of plants are put into the soil which is prepared for the cultivation of plants. After a few days, new plants start to grow.

Examples

• Bulb of garlic

• Rhizomes of ginger

Artificial Vegetative  Propagation

In this method of vegetative propagation, the new plants are grown from the vegetative plant parts by using some artificial techniques. It includes the following,

• Plant Cutting

• Plat Layering 

• Plant Grafting

Plant Cutting

Plant Cutting is a technique used in artificial vegetative propagation in which specific vegetative parts are cut and placed in moist soil to grow into new plants.

Examples

Examples of plant cutting are as follow

• Root Cuttings

• Leaf Cuttings

• Stem Cutting

Plant Layering

Plant layering is a type of vegetative propagation in which a new plant remains along with the parent plant and it forms new roots.

Examples

• Simple Layering in lemon

• Tip Layering

• Air layering in mango

Plant Grafting

Grafting is a process in which vegetative parts from one plant are joined with another plant and this combination continues to grow.

Example

Side grafting in cashew nuts.

Micropropagation

Micropropagation is also known as tissue culture in which plants are grown from very fine, usually single cells under special aseptic conditions. It is also known as aseptic micropropagation.

Special nutrients and hormones are supplied to these plants.

Advantages Of Vegetative Propagation

Following are some main advantages of vegetative propagation.

• No variation of growth.

• Start bearing soon.

• Grafting is used to produce disease-resistant varieties.

Disadvantages Of Vegetative Propagation

Following are some drawbacks,

• Are not long-lived.

• New varieties are not produced by this method.

Collection Of Crude Drugs

Collection of crude drugs is a very important step which is done after cultivation and it is the process in which drugs are collected from wild or cultivated plants.

Following are important points that should be kept in mind during drug collection,

• The collection of crude drugs depends upon the skill of labour.

• Drugs are collected when they bear maximum constituents.

• Amount and nature of constituents of drugs vary season to season so drugs should be collected in suitable season.

• Age of plant also plays an important role for drug collection so should be collected accordingly.

• Leaves are collected before the season of fruits.

• Some fruits are collected after fully ripening and some are collected before ripe.

• The bark is collected in the spring season due to its easy removal in this season.

• Underground parts of plants are collected and then dust is removed.

Harvesting Of Crude Drugs

The process of gathering useful parts of a plant is known as harvesting.

Harvesting is a process of sorting and it is the process in which unwanted or undesired parts are separated from the useful parts.

• Harvesting ensures the removal of undesired parts which are not required for medicinal purposes.

• Harvesting is manually done by trained labour.

• Due to advancements in technology mechanical means are also used for harvesting.

Examples

• Beating a clove with bamboo.

• For rhizomes and tubers, diggers are used.

• Peppermint with a mower.

Drying Of Crude Drugs

As the name indicates drying is the process of removing the excess moisture from the products.

In the case of crude drugs, it is required to dry the parts before delivering them to the marketplace.

Drying is performed to remove extra moisture and it increases product stability.

Drying stops the activity of many enzymes and also results in the inhibition of microbial growth.

Types Of Drying

There are two types of drying

• Natural Drying

• Artificial Drying

Natural Drying

• Natural drying is the process in which crude drugs are dried in sunlight or under shade.

• The selection of usage of sunlight or under shade depends on the type of drugs to be dried.

• If our product is stable to the heat it can be dried in direct sunlight.

• If the product has natural colour and volatile constituents then it is dried under shade.

Artificial Drying

Artificial drying is the process in which crude drugs are dried by using artificial drying equipment like,

•  Tray Dryers

• Vacuum Dryers

• Spray Dryer

Tray Dryers

The products which are not degraded by heat are dried in tray dryers.

Tray dryers are also used for the inactivation of different enzyme activities.

In-tray dryers the crude drugs are placed in trays and hot air is circulated which dry the products.

Example

Tea Leaves

Vacuum Dryers

The products which are sensitive to heat are dried by vacuum dryers.

Example

Digitalis leaves

Spray Dryer

This method is used for highly sensitive drugs.

Example

Papaya Latex

Garbling 

Garblingbis the process which is carried out after drying to remove dirt, sand or unwanted parts.

Packaging

For market supply crude drugs are packed in proper packaging to give protection from environmental conditions and for safe transportation.

Example

Aloe is packed in goatskin.

 

Storage Of Crude Drugs

Crude drugs are stored in well-closed containers at a place protected from rodents, moisture and fire.

Also Read

Classification Of Crude Drugs

Ginger And Its Constituents

Basics Of Pharmacology

Basics Of Pharmacognosy

Basics Of Drug Routes