Pharmacognostical Standardization of Lesser-Known Ethnomedicinal Plants

Abstract

The pharmacognostical standardization of ethnomedicinal plants is an essential aspect of modern pharmaceutical sciences, ensuring that herbal drugs meet safety, quality, and efficacy standards. While the medicinal use of plants has a rich history, the current interest in lesser-known ethnomedicinal plants has gained significant momentum due to their potential to provide novel therapeutic agents. The growing body of knowledge on ethnomedicinal plants, coupled with advances in phytochemistry, has led to increased recognition of plants previously overlooked by conventional medicine. However, the standardization of such lesser-known plants is a critical challenge due to their complex chemical composition, variability, and lack of established quality control protocols.

Pharmacognostical standardization involves the use of various scientific approaches to establish a benchmark for the quality and authenticity of plant-based medicines. This includes the identification, isolation, and characterization of bioactive compounds, as well as the development of quality control measures for their cultivation, harvesting, and preparation. Additionally, standardization encompasses various factors such as morphological, anatomical, and biochemical profiling, as well as the establishment of guidelines for proper storage and formulation.

This review paper discusses the importance of pharmacognostical standardization in the context of lesser-known ethnomedicinal plants, with a particular focus on the various approaches used for their identification and characterization. We explore the significance of molecular markers, microscopic and macroscopic features, chromatographic techniques, and other quality control measures that play a pivotal role in establishing standardized protocols for these plants. Furthermore, the review provides an overview of several lesser-known ethnomedicinal plants, their ethnobotanical uses, and the current status of their pharmacognostical standardization.

Through this review, we aim to highlight the need for detailed pharmacognostic evaluations for lesser-known plants to promote their therapeutic potential and integrate them into modern pharmaceutical practices. This paper also discusses the challenges and future prospects of pharmacognostical standardization, with particular emphasis on the regulatory aspects, sustainability, and global recognition of such plants in the field of herbal medicine.

DOI: 10.8612/38.2.2023.1