An overview of the Importance of QualityEvaluation and Validation of MedicinalPlants

Abstract

Phytoconstituents of medicinal plants and their derived formulations are evaluated for quality, safety, and efficacy.
In recent years, most people are turning to the use of natural compounds or herbs or their formulations for the
prevention or management of different disease conditions. Since phytotherapy is a common component of medical
treatment, its efficacy and safety should be required, and the necessity of pharmacological, toxicological, and
clinical trials is evident, as noted by Bauer and Tittel nearly 20 years ago. Different methods, such as physical,
chemical, and biological, are used for the quality evaluation and standardization of herbal products and their
formulations. For metabolomics profiling, a range of chromatographic and hyphenation with spectroscopic
techniques, such as high-performance thin layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid
chromatography–mass spectrometry, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, near infrareds, high-performance
thin layer chromatography–mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry,
are the effective analytical approaches for quality measurement and standardization of medicinal plants and their
extracts and herbal formulations. The processes of a quality evaluation and standardization paradigm are described
in this article with the goal of ensuring and preserving the clinical efficacy, quality and safety, and consistent
biologically active molecules of medicinal plants and their products.