Use of quality control parameters in the evaluation of crude drugs

The increasing use of herbal medicines in healthcare worldwide has made it imperative to establish robust quality control (QC) systems for crude drugs. Crude drugs are plant materials or their derivatives that have therapeutic properties. These drugs, derived from plant, animal, or mineral sources, are typically used in traditional medicine and pharmaceutical formulations. However, the complexity of their biological activities, variations in composition due to geographical and seasonal factors, and potential adulteration make them difficult to standardize. Therefore, stringent quality control parameters are required to ensure their safety, efficacy, and consistency. Quality control in herbal medicine focuses on various factors such as identification, purity, content of active ingredients, and microbiological safety.