VOL 1 2013 AUG-SEP
Director's Desk
News
ADULTERY OF ADULTERATION
The ghost of adulteration has haunted the herbal drugs industry for ages. As early as 1820, Fredrich Accum published a book A Treatise on Adulterations; proof of how long adulteration has been recognised as a serious problem. And while the practice is not new, ironically the techniques continue to evolve and spread, engulfing everyone from cultivators to extractors to end-users. With the perpetrators getting bolder and meaner, we the industry have been doing the ostrich act: burying our heads in the sand and pretending the storm will never strike.
At Botanosys, in a recent interview for a Production Executive, an overtly ambitious candidate shared with me his secret 'technology' to make cheaper Boswellia extact: lace the direct extract with Citric Acid to spike up the Boswellic Acid assay in conventional tests. (An overdose of Citric Acid can cause fainting, vomiting, diaorrhea, stomach cramps and other health problems). I was left aghast. The sheer audacity of a 20-something boy in suggesting malpractice to a prospective boss highlighted how deeply the rot had pervaded what was once the backbone of India's healthcare system. The effect: today Ayurveda and Herbals are scoffed at, or at best ignored as a form of alteate therapy practiced mostly by quacks. While there may be a number of reasons for this, adulterated herbal inputs with poor efficacy sits on top of the list.
Look-alike herbs are frequently adulterated: Pepper with Papaya seeds, Ashoka bark with Polyathia bark, Holy basil with wild basil, Guggul gum with synthetic resin, Shilajit with industrial wax, Catechu with Prosopis gum.....not only that, now Herbal Extracts too are doctored: Gokhru extract is laced into the much more expensive Safed Musli and Satavari extracts to spike the Saponin content, Triphala extract which should be derived from an equal combination of Harad, Baheda and Amla is pre-dominantly made from Baheda as Amla fruit is thrice as expensive, Boswellic acids are spiked with Citric Acid, Protodioscin from Fenugreek seeds is sold as Tribulus extract, Ashwagandha root extract is mostly extract derived from the aerial parts(not root) of the Ashwagandha bush and Turmeric extract is composed of synthetic Curcumin....the list is endless as it is apalling.
World Ayurvedic Expo to be held on 26th August 2014 at the Hyderabad International Trade Exposition Centre (HITEX) in Hyderabad, India.
Natural & Organic Products Asia 2014 to be held at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) on August 27-29, 2014.
Nigerian FDC sets up committee to verify herbal claim for EBOLA virus.
Nashik Jail inmates prepare – Dashparni Ark, a herbal pesticides for better produce.
Rajasthan University plans to promote Stevia as a grow-at-home sweetener.
Health Tips
Home Remedies for Acne & Pesky Pimples
Mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together until they are thoroughly blended and have formed a sort of paste. Apply the mask to your face and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off completely, and pat your face dry.
So how can we find a solution to this problem?
By embracing technology: World-class equipments and tests like HPTLC, GC, ICPMS etc are now possible in India through many private and govt. labs. I urge our customers to please avail of these, if not regularly, at least randomly. Though expensive, the edge that your 'scientifically validated' products will have over inferior 'adulterated' products is certain to reap huge rewards. Add to that the sense of satisfaction in creating a standardised efficacious product.
By asking questions: Ask your suppliers if the product you are buying is genuine and pure. How was it manufactured or sourced? From where? What quality checks do THEY have in place? The more you ask, the more you will find about the characteristics of an original product and the 'tricks of the trade'. Making your suppliers answer questions makes them accountable and conscious of supplying you the best quality.
Get the documents right: Insist upon your suppliers to accompany their product with documents like Certificates of Analysis(CoA), Methods of Analysis(MoA) etc with clear and complete mention of the names and plant-parts of the herb or extract, their origin, manufacturing dates and so on. Stressing on a formal system for your inward indents conveys the message that you have a no-nonsense approach to purchases and will not be short-changed easily.
Follow the text: Make it a habit to consult as many texts as possible about your herbs or formulations: Classical books, Pharmacopoeial documents and new research papers. They contain a treasure of information about product characteristics from morphology to tests helpful in ensuring the purity and integrity of your raw material. An informed customer is always a smarter customer.
Say No to Grade-Two: Many suppliers of raw herbs offer what is called 'Grade Two'. Similarly many herbal extract manufacturers offer the more economical 'Ratio Extracts'. This is where you should smell the rat. Such Grade-Twos are usually mixed varieties or plain adulterated herbs targeted at the unsuspecting purchase manager looking for a bargain. Similarly ratio extracts are a big farce, invariably diluted to a consistency even weaker than the original herb. Ask your supplier for the best quality.
Stress on sampling: Do not hesitate to ask for samples from various suppliers. Benchmark and compare them before making a purchase. Every member of your team should be aware of this policy and abide by it.
By consciously and wisely focussing on buying genuine inputs, we not only do a great service to OUR customers, but also to ourselves. We must remember what we buy and formulate into OUR products, will eventually reveal itself. How and what we choose will determine whether the outcome is Pain or Panacea.
RTVIK SETHIA
Director – Botanosys Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.
HERB OF THE MONTH : GARCINIA CAMBOGIA
Garcinia a tropical species of Garcinia native to India, Srilanka, Myanmar and Indonesia. Common name is Vrukshmala or Kokum. This fruit looks like a small pumpkin and is green to pale yellow in color but when the rinds are dried and cured in preparation for storage and extraction, they are dark brown or black in color.
The dried rind of Garcinia cambogia / Indica is used as a condiment offlavouring curries in Kerala. In Sri Lanka, the fruits are picked under-ripe, the thick pericarp cut into sections. It is used along with salt in the curing of fish. It is rich in acids and possesses marked antiseptic properties. The dried rind is also used for polishing gold and silver and as a substitute for acetic and formic acids in the coagulation of latex. Garcinia also contains significant amounts of Vitamin C and has been used as a heart tonic.
Phytochemical Constituents:
The chemical constituent present in Garcenia are: ( - ) Hydroxy citric Acid, (- ) Hydroxy citric acid lactone – 20-30%, garcinol, isogarcinol and cyanidin -3- sambubioside, pectins and sugars.
Ayurvedic Formulation: Vyosaadi Gutika, Bhaskara Lavan Churana. Therapeutic Properties: Extensively used for obesity- weight management, haemorrhoids, diarrhoea, dysentery& flatulent colic, oedema and chronic alcoholism. Also used as astringent, hepato stimulant. Leaves and seeds are emetic, purgative and hydrogogue.
Recent research: Hypolipemic effect of Garcinia cambogia in obese women (2014, Vasques CA, Schneider R, Klein-Júnior LC, Falavigna A, Piazza I, Rossetto S.) Garcinia cambogia seems to promote weight reduction and improvement on lipid profile by its major compound, hydroxycitric acid (HCA), blocking ATP-citratelyase, potentially inhibiting lpogenesis.Furthermore, it is suggested that its extract is able to change the adipokine levels.
DISEASE OF THE MONTH : OBESITY
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height. Obesity increases risk of diseases and health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Causes: At an individual level, a combination of excessive food energy intake and a lack of physical activity is thought to explain most cases of obesity.
Other reasons are:
• insufficient sleep,
• endocrine disruptors
• increased use of medications that can cause weight gain
• pregnancy at a later age
• epigenetic risk factors passed on generationally,
• natural selection for higher BMI
Risk Factors Related With Obesity:
• Bone and cartilage degeneration (Osteoarthritis)
• Coronary heart disease.
• Gallbladder disease
• High blood pressure (Hypertension)
• High total cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)
• Respiratory problems
• Several cancers
• Sleep apnea
• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes
Prevention: i. Balance Food and Activity. ii. Screening for and Managing Obesity. Herbs used in treatment of Obesity are: Garcinia cambogia, Caralluma, Green Coffee Bean, Orange Peel, Dandelion, Fenugreek, Green Tea and Guggal.
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