Hi Abhinay,

You can check the quality of the plant materials by performing extractive values, ash values, TLC and/or HPLC on both of your samples collected from two different places. If you get similar results from your analysis then you can say both as of similar quality.

For quality control tests you can refer the following

1. Indian Herbal Pharmacopoeia

2. Indian Pharmacopoeia

3. Quality Control of Herbal Drugs, PK.Mukherjee.

4. Many other books related to Quality Standards of Medicinal plants.

Hope this finds useful....

That was a simple yet useful technique..thanks sir

Dear Mr. Batchu,

The response of Dr.Muruganantham is fine. You can also do some micromorphological investigation and fix the identity.

legumes are usually extracted for their amino acids. and neither techniques will give you a proper fingerprint . so Use automated GE

If you have found another source of plant material, from where you can get it anytime you require, then get it authenticated at the herbarium at Xaviers College, Mumbai or at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune. They do charge you, but they will give a certificate authenicating your plant material..For your own reference, and for comparison you can do ash values and the tests suggested by Muruganantham ...

Dear all,

It seems to me that there is a misuse/abuse of the word "standardised". It means "to compare with a standard or to bring into conformity with a standard " but perhaps the real meaning is easier to grasp if we name its synonims: formalize, homogenize, normalize, regularize. It is chiefly applied in the industry, where the FINAL PRODUCT (EXTRACT, TABLETS, SYRUP, ETC" is diluted or concentrated (i.e. modified) to keep it "batch to batch" identical and so comply with regulation.

On the contrary, the pharmacopoeial methods are to be applied to plant material" to CHARACTERISE it. If by plant material we say herbal drug (intact or powdered) then we cannot but say if it complies with the pharmacopoeia or not, but as soon as you alter it to standardise it, i.e. dilute with excipient or concentrate it may become a "herbal product" and not any more a herbal drug. Of course identity CANNOT be standardised, or the absence of a chemical marker CANNOT be standardised by adding it (that would be adulteration). It is true that an extract could be mixed with other extracts but then we are back to industrial procedures (standardisation).

I hope that this brings to the discussion a deeper edge.

To me this is characterisation - identification of plant materia.l How do you adjust the differences- if any- to make them have similar dna (=standard)?

You can follow the WHO methods of 2007 and also the IUPAC Technical report of 2008 (Pure Appl. Chem., Vol. 80, No. 10, pp. 2195–2230, 2008) for details.

Please see the attached file

Fresh plant material can be standardized by microscopic evaluation and the powder microscopy can be opted for the dried material. If leaves then the leaf constants can be considered like stomatal index, palisade ratio, vein islet number, vein termination number. Physical evaluation like ash values, moisture content can also be considered.

For qualitative chemical analysis of the chemical components, a standard can be used and this test sample can be extracted using solvents(polar and nonpolar) and finally chromatography can be applied

Yes, The response of Sh. Gandhidas Lavekar is fine and follow it. thanx

First your question is not clear. What type of project/work you are doing in legumes? What type of standardization you require? If it is identification, you can match the material/specimen with any herbarium. If you have the powder form, then you can go for HPLC finger printing. If you have barcode facility (I know it is not possible for you), then you may match it for proper authentication. Otherwise, pharmacognostic metohods also can apply. It all depends up on which type of standadization you require.

It is not easy to standardize plant material as its content and concentration of phytochemicals change according to soil, fertilizers or organic fertilizers, pesticides used and time of harvesting the leaves, roots or flowers. Some of the methods above can be used especially that suggested by Ghandidas. However, when harvesting plants for medicinal purposes, list the bioactive ingredients for efficacy in therapy, and set the minimum concentration for the plant part. If it is below this level you may not want to use it for medicinal purposes. Of course a check on the heavy metals and antioxidant bioassay would be a useful guide.

You can consult Protocol for testing available on this site

Collect plant samples from an authentic source with proper documentation of varieties grown, maintenance and farm management done acc. to a selected protocols. Usually Farms at the Agricultural Universites, Crop development centres and National Instts. under Agriculture Ministry will have provide authentic varieties of the particular plant grown in a specified area. The specimen can be identified/verified and certified to be the particular species, by a Taxonomist associated with such Universities or Centres. Samples(plants) may be collected over two-three seasons consecutively,at the same time of the year at every collection . Morphological examinations and chemical evaluation(major compound etc) can be compared with available data in literature.

This procedure will reduce the variation due to varieties, soil and other agroclimatic conditions.

Please take a look a this paper :

STANDARDISATION OF A STEM BARK EXTRACT OF NAUCLEA POBEGUINII AND ITS IN VIVO ANTIPLASMODIAL ACTIVITY

L. Pieters

Abstract: Nauclea pobeguinii (Rubiaceae) is widely used in African traditional medicine against malaria-like symptoms. Alkaloids, such as the major compound strictosamide are assumed to be responsible for the activity. An HPLC method was developed and validated for the quantification of strictosamide in an 80% EtOH extract of the stem bark of N. pobeguinii. The method was validated according to the ICH guidelines. The response of ajmalicine.HCl, used as a secondary standard, was linear in a concentration range from 4.2 to 21.2 µg/mL. The accuracy of the method was validated by means of a recovery experiment (mean recovery of 92.2% (RSD of 9.4%)). The method was shown to be precise with respect to time (RSD of 2.2%, 3 days, n = 6) and concentration (RSD of 2.6%, 3 levels, n = 6). A crude ethanolic extract of the bark, containing 5.6% (w/w) strictosamide, was evaluated in vivo in the Plasmodium berghei mouse model in a suppressive treatment regimen. The test substance was formulated in PEG400 and orally dosed (PO) at 300 mg/kg twice daily for 5 days. One group received the treatment intraperitoneally (IP) using the same dosing regimen. Chloroquine (10 mg/kg) was used as positive control. Treatment with the crude extract, administered either orally or intraperitoneally, resulted in moderate depression of parasitaemia during administration period, followed by a quick and full relapse (mean survival time = about 13 days). At termination of the experiment at day 21, a single survivor in the PO group was apparently cured (no parasitaemia), the single survivor in the IP group showed high parasitaemia and was in a moribund state. It can be concluded that the crude extract of N. pobeguinii has slight antimalarial potential when administered orally in a suppressive dosing regimen of 2x 5 days at 300 mg/kg. Its action is likely to be static since full relapse occurs quickly after ending the daily dosing.

African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative medicines (AJTCAM); ABSTRACTS OF THE WORLD CONGRESS ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS, CAPE TOWN NOVEMBER 2008; 452-453

Hope it will be useful

There are two ways of standerdization, the authentication of the plant material itself and the standerdisation of the bioactives in the plant. If you are interested in the second one, I may help. Please advise your interest

In general, the standardization of a product of a plant (if this is the question) begins with the identification of the active ingredient. The next step is the quantification of the active substance itself. In example: gingseng how many ginsenosides or green tea how many polyphenols?

Find out the taxonomic diagnostic character with the help of literature and compare with your plant. You can use quantitative microscopy at initial level or develop the phytochemical profile as TLC, HPTLC or DNA fingerprint can help you.

At first go for Pharmacognostic characterization followed by Extraction with different polarity grade solvents and isolation and Phytochemical screening, pharmacological screening of isolated compounds and toxicity studied of the reported therapeutic potentials.

The method(s) to use will depend on the particular plant matrial; leaves, roots, whole herb etc. However it will have to involve morphological, microscopic and chemical characterization of the standard samples in order to set limits of acceptance of new samples. read about methods in herbal pharmacopoeias and WHO quality control methods on herbal products

--grateful to all for contribution n taking this discussion, deeper,

i am talking about not mere identification but standardisation(or more of comparision with my previous sample as std, if i say)

--i think Beldeu Singh sir has made, a good point .as identification with HPTLC or DNA barcoding are very useful , but coming to the amount of its constituents, various factors contribute.

--Ananthasankaran Jayalekshmy , has also given a good solution but , this needs to take into consideration the time of harvest, which is not soon, and by when i may need to even submit my thesis.

Go for WHO Guidelines for Standardization of Herbs...it includes Organoleptic, Physiochemical, Microscopic, Phytochemical and Pharmacological analysis....

And if u need standards for WHO parameters of your drug...i can help you out with standards value...

Though I am not an expert in phytochemistry or taxonomy, I feel from my little experience in biopesticide related work (including extraction and testing of insecticidal materials from plants), I feel that a good plant taxonomists can help you in identifying the plants correctly collected from a geographically different place.

Dr. M. Gokuldas, Professor@Calicut University.

check the book Quality control by puluk mukharjee. this is quite simple and detailed.

all the macroscopic and microscopical evaluation, chemical, chromatographic, physical evaluation methods are described.

First you should analysis authentic specimens and compare other other one by macroscopic, microscopic and chemical analysis also.

For any plant raw material, first is to get the authentic plant by following taxonomic key. Then collecting the required plant part and standardizing by following WHO guidelines. Then go for geographical and seasonal variation. Standardize with known and novel phyto-compound. Otherwise go for DNA fingerprinting.

go 4 morphological, microscopical, physical, chemical and biological evaluation n compare with the std., if available...also go 4 TLC n HPTLC studies..

Can any one please provide us the Indian Standard of Herbal Cosmetics and Toiletries?

Sir. U can find the standardization of ingredients used in cosmetics in herbal pharmacopoeia or ayurvedic pharmacopoeia but no idea about standn. Of formulated herbal cosmetics.

There is no catagory of Herbal cosmetics. Only cosmetics. the standards you can get fron Bureau of Indian Standard, ITO. New Delhi

If you mean "standardization" as "to have always the same row-material", you need to fix the four reasons for chemical variation in plants: environment, ontogeny (harvest time), genetic of the cultivated population, and post-harvest operations.

Standardization in this case can be either qualitative or quantitative. In the case where you want make sure that you get the same species, you may get the help of a good taxonomist (for eg. Dr A.K. Pradeepkumar of the University of Calicut, Herbarium). If you want to make sure of the quantitative standard, you may go for drying the material ( air dry, drying at low temps, freeze dry etc.) which may be helpful to overcome the weight difference due to excess water content caused by whether conditions such as high rainfall etc..

Prof. . Gokuldas, Calicut University.

At first go for authentication by taxonomic characterization followed by phytochemical and phharmacological screening of isolated compounds for characterization.

Jose has made a ppoint of critical value. Part of the problem depends on what phytochemical(s) you want to extract. For instance, a particular plant may have very high concentrations of a particular phytochemical at 3am, then that becomes an important factor but there is no perfect standardization as in producing drugs from chemicals. Other than that, weight of plant material and the soils in which they grow (elements in soils, eg selenite etc) at what time harvesting is done (as day and night biochemnistry in plants is different, whether harvesting is done when flowrring or fruiting or when fruits are ripening etc are important factors. Then there is an issue of efficiency asnd efficacy. We went for efficacy and chose a mothod of obtaining extracts in the nano-form from edible substances (without using chemicals or organic solvents) that are then manipulated for efficacy by using natural (plant based nanofiers) to reduce aqueous particle size to around 100nm (range 120nm to 35nm) for rapid delivery into the body through spraying onto the skin for targeting (biochaneling) to organs and tissues and cells. In this way, for instance, a simple aesthetic formula can eliminate pain from a beesting within 2-3 seconds and the swelling begins to subside fast for a fresh sting and there is no need for the anti-allergy spray. Similarly, the anti-bacterial spray works rapidly by proteolytic attack on bacteria and the fever, if any, subsides fast.

In this field of Fenton Medicine, diabetes in a patient with hepatitis is largely resolved by using the antiviral spray to reduce/eliminate the viral problem with a resulting improvement in sugar metabolism. Similarly, drug-induced diabetes in patients given too much drugs, the detrox spray is used to bind or bio-chelate the drug metabolites and about 45 mins later the sugar levels reduce or may drop to within nornal rage or close to it.

Other methods of standaridzation or rather approaches is to test for heavy metals and antioxidant bioassy. Best of luck.

the plant material should be authenticated(standardized) by a botanist before it is used for extraction work. Botanist authenticates by observing the type of leaves arrangent on stem-paripinnate or imparipinnate, margins of leaves-entire or dentate, bluntor acute apex, color or flowers,fruits, leaves, type of inflorescence, type of fruit- dehiscent or indehiscent, sometimtes the quantitaive values like stomatal no. n index, palisade ratio, etc.. these points may help u to identify your legumes, the source of which you found scarce.

i agree with sanjeev haroor. First step is the proper identification of plant material by meanss of botanical and chemical expert. Sometimes it is very difficult to differentiate the plant from their closely related species. To confirm the plant material TLC, HPTLC is very important tool for identification by the marker compound, rf value and chemical fingerprinting.

Dear sir, you want to ensure that the source from which you are collecting the drug should be same. This is not standardisation. For ensuring maximum uniformity in contents of plant , we should ensure that geographical location i. E. Environmental conditions are same. For standardisation we need to analyse contents of crude drug or finished formulation and fix parameters which are not variating. This will help in ensuring same results everytime .

KNOWING WHEN to harvest and obtain extracts from plants IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR in getting close to standardinzation with regard to plant extracts. This is mentioned in ayurveda but see modern research as below:-

"A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of fruiting on antinutrients (soluble and total oxalates), toxic substances (cyanide and nitrate) and some micronutrients namely: vitamin C, β-carotene (provitamin A) and mineral elements [(sodium (Na), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca) potassium (K)] in Telfairia occidentalis grown in nitrogen and non-nitrogen treated soil. Vegetable leaves were harvested at both market maturity (vegetative phase) and fruiting (reproductive phase), and were subjected to chemical analysis. Results showed that the cyanide and total oxalate concentrations were significantly higher at fruiting stage of vegetables grown on both control and nitrogen applied soil, while the nitrate and β-carotene concentration in T. occidentalis were significantly reduced irrespective of the soil nitrogen levels. Fruiting however, had no significant effect on soluble oxalate and vitamin C concentration in T. occidentalis grown under control and nitrogen treatment conditiond. The results also revealed that while Fe and Mg contents were increased, K and Cu content decreased significantly with fruiting in both control and nitrogen fertilization treatment. Similarly, the Na content in the vegetable was decreased significantly only when nitrogen fertilizer was used. The levels of Zn and Ca were not affected by fruiting.'

(Amanbo Musa et al, African Journal of Environmental Science & Technology Vol. 5(9), pp. 710 - 716, September 2011)

Standardisation is the process by which you can arrive on proper identification of that plant genus, species and variety, botanically , Taxonomic and phytochemicaly. Pharmacopoeia are the book of standards. there are many herbal pharmacopoeias like Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Indian Pharmacopoeia, Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Japanese pharmacopoeia, USP,BP, European Pharmacopoeia, etc. For standadisation of plant one should work on these parameters: Morphology, anatomy ( all parameters as told by Dr Sanjeev Heroor, ) . Physicochemical tests like foreign matter, loss on drying, ash value, acid insoluble ash, water/alcohol extractive values, chemical tests for active constituents, essential oil,TLC/HPTLC pattern, UV abs, finally essay of active constituents. If the plant material comply in all these parameters then place of collection may not affect. There is climatic and seasonal variation in constituents. that doesn't matter.

for standerdization first go for authentication of plant, and then do standerdization according to WHO GUIDELLINES for physio-chemical parameters, then get the extract and do the chemical tests to find out the chemical constituents present and futher go for chromatographic studies.

Chemical standards(qualitative and quantitative ) (if referral standards available)..if your targated work demands to comply the quantitative presence of chemical markers’ must go go for quantitative assessment. You may go for DNA finger prints .

Mr.steven, can u help me in knowing the techinique DNA barcoding as it seems new to me, and i m intrested in knowing how it can be performed in laboratory.

Refer Indian Pharmacopoeia, and also British Pharmacopoeia on medicinal plants

Mr. Abhnay.. standardisation of a plant material involves plant authentication, plant raw material analysis and most importantly quantifying one or more of the bioactive constituents of the plant material by a standard optimised analytical method such as HPTLC,HPLC or GCMS .. There are other newer methods also. Such a quantification process will give the amount of a bioactive constituent in a particular extract composition. It is one of the important stages of standardisation of plant and plant extracts. This validates the use of the plant or its extracts in medicinal formulations.

In your case I understand that you want to procure a particular plant material from a source. For this purpose you can do plant authentication with the help of a botanist and if further necessary do a raw material analysis which involves the histological parameters of a plant, ash value, extractive values and TLC analysis.If for both plant samples these parameters are same then the plant samples are one and the same.

In short we can say that we compare the drug with standard one. We should follow all these steps :

• Procurement of plant material.

• Authentication of plant material

• Preparation of Extracts

• Pharmacognostical studies

1.Macroscopy

2.Powder microscopy

3.Physicochemical parameters

4.Preliminary Phytochemical Screening

5.TLC of extracts

6.HPTLC Profile

chromatographic techniques are essential for its detail survey and for the identification of marker compounds....

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315754339_Latest_trend_on_Standardization_of_Herbal_Medicine_A_brief_review

Article Latest trend on Standardization of Herbal Medicine: A brief review

There seems to be all sorts of answers for a simple question. The Person asking the question has not mentioned the purpose of standardization. The divergent answers before mine cover all the possible aspects but miss the crucial one...ACTIVITY.  If the purpose is to define the medicinal potential, DNA barcoding whilst useful serves no purpose not do any chromatographic methodologies.The question needs to be more specific for the answer to be relevant!!.  Activity based standardization or Phytochemical standardization needs to be cleared first.

Standardising mean for quality control only and not activity.

it mean the overall level that you must fulfilled