„In Ayurveda, it is mentioned that the dosage of pure herb powders should be 3 to 6 grams. If we put the raw herbs in capsules, there won’t be any results. For such purpose, I have developed a range of herbal powder blends – the Churna combinations and the jars contain herb powders, which are giving excellent results. If you want to achieve results in a smaller dosage (for capsules), that’s why extracts are important. That’s why I have a range of herbal extract-based formulations. I have been using them for the last 15 years and getting good results with the combinations.“
Dr. Vikram Chauhan, CEO, and founder of Planet Ayurveda™ brand
Here you can read more information about standardized extracts
Extraction
The commonly employed technique for the removal of the active substances from the crude drug is called extraction. Selection of the solvent is very critical in preparing the extracts because the active constituent of the plants has an affinity for solvents. Extracts are prepared by separating the soluble matter from vegetable tissues by application of a suitable solvent like alcohol, water, or ether. The resultant liquid is concentrated by evaporation to obtain a liquid extract or concentrated nearly to dryness to obtain the solid extract. Depending on the solvent used, the extracts are classified as alcoholic, ethereal, or aqueous.
Standardized herbal extract
The standardized herbal extract is a preparation, which contains a certain fixed proportion of the active constituent. For example, a standardized extract of Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) contains not less than 1.5% of withanolides. The concept of standardization has a great impact on the quality of herbal products. Standardization helps in adjusting the herbal drug formulation to a defined content of a constituent or constituents with therapeutic activity.
The most obvious aspect of standardization is the guaranteed content of one or more active constituents or marker compounds; standardization involves much more than guaranteed levels of constituents. Standardization refers to the body of information and controls that guarantees the consistency of composition – and therefore consistency of activity – of an herbal extract.
Chemical analysis, using appropriate techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography, and thin-layer chromatography, is a key aspect of standardization. A standardized extract is standardized with respect to one or more specific constituents or groups of constituents. In most cases, the standardization is done to one or more key active constituents. In cases where the most important active constituents have not been identified, standardization may be done to a marker compound.
Advantages of standardized extracts used in Planet Ayurveda® Formulations
Standardized extracts retain the chemical complexity typical of the natural plant, but offer the added advantage of guaranteed levels of certain key constituents. An increasing number of herbal medicines containing standardized herbal extracts have had their clinical efficacy confirmed in clinical trials. The vast majority of clinical trials involving herbal medicines have used standardized extracts.
The reason behind the efficacy of Planet Ayurveda® formulations is simple: standardized extracts offer consistent and reproducible therapeutic effects and the highest degree of safety. Accordingly, standardized extracts produce the best clinical results than crude drugs.
Planet Ayurveda® standardized herbal extracts versus crude drugs
Because botanical extracts are made directly from crude plant material, they can show very substantial variations in composition, quality, and therapeutic effects. The variation and diversity of life are enormous, even within a species. In other words, two medicinal plants of the same species may look similar, yet be substantially different in the levels of active constituents they contain. Herbal medicines made from plants that differ markedly in their chemical constituents cannot produce the same therapeutic effects. Because the practitioner or consumer will be unable to assess the difference, they cannot compensate for it. The consequence will be inconsistent clinical results.
Planet Ayurveda® standardized herbal extracts used in capsule-based formulations offer the following advantages over capsule-based formulations containing raw herb powders:
- High-quality herbal extracts containing consistent levels of specified compounds.
- Broad-spectrum herbal extracts contain recognized active constituents as well as a variety of other plant constituents (some of which may contribute to the overall therapeutic quality of the extract).
- Herbal extracts are subjected to rigorous quality controls during all phases of the growing, harvesting, and manufacturing processes.
Clinical advantages of standardized herbal extracts
Planet Ayurveda® standardized herbal extracts used in capsule-based formulations have distinct clinical advantages as summarised below:
- High-quality extracts with consistent activity.
- Consistent activity allows for more accurate prescribing.
- The consistent activity allows for consistent clinical results.
- Extensive quality control ensures the quality and safety of standardized herbal extracts.
