1. Production and manufacture of Medicinal Plants Lecture (3)
Dr Dalia Rasheed

2. Basic Terminology for Herbal Medicine
1. Medicinal Plants
Large groups of plants used in medicine or veterinary practice for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes due to the presence of active substances in their organs (alkaloids, phenolics & vitamins) with physiological effects rendering them biologically active.
2. Herbal Medicines
Finished labeled medicinal products containing herbal material or herbal preparation(s) of one or more medicinal plant(s) as their active ingredient(s), usually with other excipients (preservatives, coloring and/or flavoring agents) .

3. Basic Terminology for Herbal Medicine
3. Herbal Material
3.1. Plant part(s): fresh or dried; entire or pulverized plant organ(s).
3.2. Plant product(s): juices, gums, resins, essential oils, fatty oils and/or other substances of this nature.
4. Herbal Preparations
Considered as the basis for the finished herbal products (phytopharmaceuticals).
4.1. Aqueous extracts: decoctions, infusions & macerates.
4.2. Alcoholic or Hydro-alcoholic extracts: tinctures.
4.3. Acidic extracts: vinegars.
4.4. Oily extracts.

4. Different Dosage Forms of Herbal Medicines
Herbal medicines can be administered in 3 forms:
Solid dosage forms (herbal teas, capsules & tablets).
Semi solid dosage forms (creams & ointments).
Liquid dosage forms (syrups, suspensions, Juices, oils & liniments).

5. Different Dosage Forms of Herbal Medicines
Medicinal plant form
Suitable dosage form
Pulverized herbal material
Herbal teas
Powdered extracts
Solid dosage forms
Liquid or viscous extracts & juices
Liquid, semisolid dosage forms & SGC.
Fixed & essential oils
SGC, soft gelatin capsules

6. Different Dosage Forms of Herbal Medicines
Herbal teas:
Herbal teas consist of one or more ground or ungrounded herbal drugs intended for oral aqueous preparations by means of decoction, infusion or maceration.
The preparation is prepared immediately before use.
Herbal-teas are supplied in bulk form or in sachets.

7. Different Dosage Forms of Herbal Medicines
Ointments and creams
They are obtained simply by addition of extracts, juices or other herbal material to a suitable base (mostly Oil, Vaseline, Lanolin or Animal fats).
Ointments or creams are applied topically to the affected areas.

8. Different Dosage Forms of Herbal Medicines
Liniments
Liniments are emulsions of medicinal herb extracts with oil and/or alcohol.
They are applied topically to the skin by gentle rubbing allowing the active substances to penetrate through the skin into deeper tissues.
Generally used for rheumatic and muscular symptoms.

9. Different Dosage Forms of Herbal Medicines
Syrups
Herbal syrups are made by the addition of viscous herbal extracts or tinctures blended with simple syrup.
Simple syrup afford antimicrobial activities as they contain a (50-85% w/v) of sucrose.

10. Characteristics of herbal medication
Phytomedicines or herbal drugs are different from single purified medicinal agents used in allopathic medication in the following aspects:
1- Pharmacologically active compounds in herbal drugs are present in lower concentrations than in allopathic medicaments. This fact means that generally risks associated with crude herbal drugs are minimal under controlled use.
2- Herbal materials can be considered as dilute drugs, therefore it is usually common to concentrate the herbal material in the form of extracts, tinctures, teas or infusions.
3- Herbal drugs also contain a wide variety of different active or inactive chemical components as cellulose, starch, pigments or sugars.
4- Herbs contain mixtures of chemical constituents that may have active and synergistic effect or antagonistic actions, e.g. Rhubarb, contains anthraquinones and tannins.

11. Characteristics of herbal medication
5- Pharmacologically active constituents in medicinal plants are mostly secondary metabolites biosynthesized in response to microbial attack, or to deter or attract insects, therefore they are usually present in low concentrations.
6- Some herbal drugs can serve as remedies and foods simultaneously, e.g. Citrus fruits, garlic, onion, grapes and green/black tea.
7- Herbal drugs may support the general health of humans, particularly elder subjects e.g. antihepatotoxic compound silymarin, antioxidants and anti-hyperlipidemics.
8-Herbal medicaments are less expensive than allopathic alternatives and WHO encourages the developing countries to make their own herbal formulary from local flora.

12. Pre-processing of
Medicinal Plants

13. Pre- Preprocessing Requisites
Major activities prior to formulation processes include:
Good Cultivation Practices (GCP).
Good Harvesting Practices (GHP).
Preliminary Drying (Usually by sun or air drying)
Picking and Sorting of Impurities from biomass.
Good Storage Practices (GSP).

14. I- Cultivated and wild medicinal plants
Wild Plants
Cultivated Plants
Cheap and genuine
Expensive and may be adulterated
Have sparse distribution which makes them difficult to reach
Easley accessible and confined to a specific area
Collected by unskilled personnel and difficulty in transport
Can be collected by skilled labors and may be improved by genetic engineering.
Supply may be insufficient to the market needs
After providing optimal growth conditions and protection from diseases and insect attacks, supply will be controlled and easily transported

15. Collection (Harvesting) of Medicinal Plants
Drugs collection is a task that may require casual, unskilled native labour or skilled workers in a highly scientific manner (e.g. digitalis, opium and cinchona).
Foxglove
(Digitalis purpurea)
poppy capsule
(Papaver somniferum)
Cinchona
(Cinchona officinalis)

16. Collection (Harvesting) of Medicinal Plants
Factors affecting collection of medicinal plants
Season of collection: it affects the amount & the nature of the active constituents, e.g. rhubarb contains no anthraquinone derivatives in winter but contains anthranols which, on the arrival of warmer weather, are converted by oxidation into anthraquinones.
Age of the plant collected: it governs not only the total quantity of active constituents produced, but also the relative proportions of the components of the active mixture. Examples are given in the following table:

17. Collection (Harvesting) of Medicinal Plants
Ontogenetic variation
Digitalis lanata
Highest levels of total glycosides are observed in first -year leaves.
Medicinally valuable cardiac glycosides (lanatoside C) attain their highest levels in second-year plants.
Papaver Alkaloids
Morphine content of capsule is highest 2-3 weeks after flowering.
Secondary alkaloids (codeine, thebaine. narcotine & papaverine) reach their maximum earlier.
Datura stramonium
The hyoscine/hyoscyamine ratio falls from about 50% in young seedlings to about 30% in mature fruiting plants
Ammi visnaga Furanocoumarins
Unripe fruits are richest in both khellin & visnagin
Vanilla planifolia
Highest rate of vanillin biosynthesis occurs 8 months after flower pollination

18. Collection (harvesting) medicinal plants
Time of collection: day or night harvesting affects the composition of the secondary metabolites of certain plant (e.g. Digitalis leaves).
General rules for collection of different plant organs:
Leaves are collected as the flowers are beginning to bloom.
Flowers are collected just before they are fully expanded.
Fruits are collected when mature, but before ripening.
Seeds are collected when fruit or plant is fully mature.
Underground organs are collected as the aerial parts die out.

19. Collection (harvesting) medicinal plants
Leaves, flowers and fruits should not be collected when covered with dew or rain, while barks are usually collected after a period of damp weather, as they then separate most readily from the wood.
For the collection of gums, resins, etc., dry weather is obviously indicated and care should be taken to exclude vegetable debris as far as possible.

20. Collection (harvesting) medicinal plants
After collection Medicinal drugs require:
Cleaning: especially for underground organs where they must be washed to remove soil debris, Peeled if needed as in liquorice or sliced as in calumba.

21. Collection (harvesting) medicinal plants
Garbling: which is removal of foreign matter and classification into different grandees.
Bleaching: to make drugs more appealing as in case of marine plants e.g. ginger.