PHYTOSOME: A NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM PREPARATION TO IMPROVE BIOAVAILABILITY OF HERBAL EXTRACT

Herbal medicines have diverse range of active phytoconstituents provides any opportunity to use in a variety of ways, but active constituents are poorly absorbed due to their strong polarity and lipophilicity, resulting in low bioavailability. The  term  phytosome  means complex  between  a  natural  product  and  natural phospholipids, like soy  phospholipids  that  are obtained by the reaction of stoichiometric amounts of  phospholipids  and  phytoconstituents  in  an appropriate solvent. Phytosomes are little cell like structure. This is a advanced form of herbal formulation which contains the bioactive phytoconstituents of plant extract surrounds and bound by lipid. Majority of the bioactive phytoconstituents are water soluble compounds like flavonoids, saponins, glucosides, terpenoids in which flavonoids are major class of bioactive phytoconstituents possess broad therapeutic uses. Phytosome shows better absorption and as a result to produce better bioavailability because it consist of  water soluble herbal extract and lipophilic outer layer.