Decipher Ayurveda

Abstract

Herbal drugs and medicines have been integral to healthcare systems for millennia, serving as primary therapeutic agents in traditional practices across diverse cultures. In recent decades, increasing global interest in natural remedies has prompted an urgent need for rigorous standardization to ensure safety, efficacy, and q uality. This review provides an in‐depth exploration of the evolution, current methodologies, challenges, and future directions in the standardization of herbal drugs and medicines. It examines historical perspectives from ancient pharmacopeias to modern r egulatory frameworks illustrates the advances in analytical techniques (such as chromatographic, spectroscopic, and bioassay methods), and discusses the integration of traditional knowledge with contemporary scientific approaches. Special emphasis is place d on quality control measures, the role of pharmacognosy, and the application of good manufacturing practices (GMP) and regulatory guidelines. Through a systematic analysis of the literature and case studies from multiple geographical regions, this review highlights critical issues, including variability in raw material quality, challenges in active constituent identification, and the need for harmonized international standards. The discussion further addresses emerging trends such as metabolomics, chemomet rics, and nanotechnology - based delivery systems that promise to revolutionize herbal drug standardization.