Determination of Foreign Matter
Herbal drugs should be made from the stated part of the plant and be devoid of
other parts of the same plant or other plants. They should be entirely free from
moulds or insects, including excreta and visible contaminant such as sand and
stones, poisonous and harmful foreign matter and chemical residues. Animal mat-
ter such as insects and “invisible” microbial contaminants, which can produce tox-
ins, are also among the potential contaminants of herbal medicines [54–56]. Mac-
roscopic examination can easily be employed to determine the presence of foreign
matter, although microscopy is indispensable in certain special cases (for example,
34 2 Quality Control, Screening, Toxicity, and Regulation of Herbal Drugs
starch deliberately added to “dilute” the plant material). Furthermore, when for-
eign matter consists, for example, of a chemical residue, TLC is often needed to
detect the contaminants [
Herbal drugs should be made from the stated part of the plant and be devoid of
other parts of the same plant or other plants. They should be entirely free from
moulds or insects, including excreta and visible contaminant such as sand and
stones, poisonous and harmful foreign matter and chemical residues. Animal mat-
ter such as insects and “invisible” microbial contaminants, which can produce tox-
ins, are also among the potential contaminants of herbal medicines [54–56]. Mac-
roscopic examination can easily be employed to determine the presence of foreign
matter, although microscopy is indispensable in certain special cases (for example,
34 2 Quality Control, Screening, Toxicity, and Regulation of Herbal Drugs
starch deliberately added to “dilute” the plant material). Furthermore, when for-
eign matter consists, for example, of a chemical residue, TLC is often needed to
detect the contaminants [
إرسال تعليق