Novel drug delivery systems for herbal drugs

Abstract

Novel drug delivery systems(NDDS) for herbal drugs with poor water solubility have been expanding, almost exponentially, over thJHMR-CODEe past six years. The great advancement has been made for the technologies increasing the commercial potential of the herbal formulations by increasing the patient compliance and avoiding repeated administration of the formulation. There are varieties of novel herbal formulations like nanoparticles, matrix systems, solid dispersions, nanocapsules, liposomes, phytosomes, nanoemulsions, microemulsions, microsphere, micropellets, transferosomes, and ethosomes has been reported using bioactive and plant extracts. These formulations have remarkable advantages over conventional formulations of plant actives and extracts which include enhancement of solubility, bioavailability, therapeutic efficacy, enhancement of pharmacological activity, enhancement of stability, improved tissue macrophages distribution, sustained delivery, and protection from physical and chemical degradation. This review highlights the current status of the development of novel herbal formulations and applications of NDDS in the traditional medicine system to conflict more chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes, cancer and others.