Phytochemical Profiling, DSR, Quality Control and Safety Evaluation Studies of Lavandula stoechas L. Aerial Parts Using HPTLC and GC-MS

Ensuring the quality and safety of herbal medicines through drug standardization (DSR), quality control (QC), and quality assurance (QA) remains a major challenge, particularly for authenticating and differentiating adulterants in aromatic herbaceous plants. Lavandula stoechas L. (LSL), known as Jarub-e-Dimagh or Ustukhuddus in the Unani system of medicine, has long been used as a brain stimulant and nervine tonic for neurological disorders, insomnia, amnesia, melancholia, stress, anxiety, depression, and vertigo. This study evaluated the DSR, QC, safety profile, high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) fingerprints of the aerial parts and extracts of LSL. Safety assessments included heavy metals, aflatoxins, pesticide residues, and microbial contamination, all of which were within permissible limits. Physicochemical and phytochemical analyses further supported the quality of the samples. HPTLC fingerprinting revealed multiple characteristic bands under UV 254 nm, UV 366 nm, and visible light after vanillin–sulfuric acid derivatization, using toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid (7.6:2.4:0.01 v/v) as the solvent system. GC-MS profiling confirmed the presence of major bioactive phytochemical compounds (MBPCC). The integrated DSR, QC, safety, HPTLC, and GC-MS findings demonstrate that the tested samples of LSL were authentic and free from adulteration. These profiles provide valuable reference data for future standardization and support its traditional therapeutic applications, particularly in neurological and psychological disorders.