Chapter 25 - Analytical platforms and methodologies in herbal metabolomics

Abstract

Herbal medicines and formulations contain a vast array of compounds, acting in synergy on multiple targets. In order to ensure their proper formulation, high quality and safety, powerful and robust techniques are required for their analysis, which should be non-biased, reproducible and rapid. Metabolomics is the comprehensive analysis of metabolites in biological systems and samples. The approach is heavily technique-driven and data intensive, involving getting a metabolic profile using analytical technologies, usually spectroscopic instruments, and analyzing the generated data to gain insights into the metabolic state of the system. In the last decade, the popularity of metabolomics studies has increased following enormous developments and improvements in analytical technologies and bioinformatics. Similarly, the applications of metabolomics in herbal analysis have increased tremendously, driven by the holistic and information-rich nature of the approach which is well-suited for evaluating a system as complex as the herbal metabolome. This chapter aims to give a brief overview of the analytical techniques and methodologies used in herbal metabolomics research and assists researchers, who are planning to embark on the use of the approach, gain an understanding of the basic concepts, advantages and potential applications of the approach for their research.