Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of three commercial herbal tea products present in the Egyptian market; commercial herbal Calm (1), commercial herbal Intestinal (2) and commercial herbal Anti diarrhea (3) in comparison with three prepared standard mixtures. Methods: Quality control of the three commercial herbal products and prepared standard mixtures was conducted through microscopical identification of their diagnostic elements, determination of pharmacopeial constants, and detection of contaminations. Analysis of essential oil content and estimation of the main active constituents were performed using GC/MS and HPLC respectively. Antimicrobial activity, toxicological study, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities were carried out on 80% methanolic extract of the three commercial herbal teas in comparison with corresponding standard mixtures. Results: Quality control of the three commercial herbal products revealed that some of the herbs are exhausted; some of the products are adulterated with other species rather than those of the formula; however, the three commercial herbal products are safe, free from aflatoxin, pesticides and heavy metals. They are active as antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Conclusion: The assessed commercial herbal products that are used in the Egyptian market for some gastro-intestinal tract disorders have proven their effectiveness as antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant drugs, which can be subjected for further clinical trials.
Highlights
Diseases of gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) are a major cause of ill-health worldwide
The values of the total ash, water insoluble ash, and acid insoluble ash obtained from commercial herbal Calm (1) are different from those obtained from the prepared standard herbal calm (1) which indicates presence of adulteration
Detection of pesticide residues Medicinal plant materials may contain pesticide residues, which accumulate as a result of agricultural practices, such as spraying, treatment of soils during cultivation and administration of fumigants during storage
Summary
Diseases of gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) are a major cause of ill-health worldwide. In developing countries infection and malnutrition are of common correlation; for example, over a billion people are infested with roundworms and hookworms, and amoebiasis that affect over 10% of the world’s population. In primary care and in outpatient clinics, patients with dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome are very common.[1] Phytotherapy is a form of complementary and alternative therapy using plants and their extracts for healthcare. According to World Health Organization more than three fourth of the world population use herbal therapy. Phytotherapy is given in the form of supplements, teas, tinctures, creams and poultices.[2] It is important that the conditions for the correct and appropriate use of phytotherapeutic methods to follow the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality. Safety means assuring the presence of the least acceptable limits of aflatoxins, pesticides, toxic heavy metals and micro-organisms in the drug, efficacy means that the drug must be efficient in the given dose, while quality means evaluating the identity, purity, content and other chemical, physical and biological properties of the drug.[3] www.http://aprh.js.iknito.com 43
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