To make impure by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients

ADULTERATION

ADULTERATION OF CRUDE DRUGS

• It is the practice of substituting original crude drug either partially or wholly with other similar looking substances, which are either free from or inferior in chemical & therapeutic properties. It is the debasement of an article.

• In general it occurs when the drug is either scarce or expensive though not scarce.

• Adulteration is done deliberately or it may occur accidentally or due to ignorance.

• An adulterant must be cheaper and abundant

Classification (Types)• Adulteration by substitution

– Admixture (Mixing similar looking things with original); Ignorance/accidental/deliberate

– Sophistication (intentional or deliberate adulteration);

– Inferiority (Substitution of substandard) Deliberate;

• Adulteration by Ignorance / Carelessness– Deterioration (the impairment in the quality)

– Spoilage (Microbial deterioration)

• Methods:

Adulteration by substitution (Methods)

1. Manufactured substances– Materials are artificially manufactured & mixed with

original drugs. It is priced for much costlier drugs.

• Examples:– Paraffin wax is made yellow colored & substituted

for bees wax.– Artificial invert sugar for honey.– Nutmegs WITH cut pieces of bass wood.– Artificial ergot is made from dough in a mould of

correct size & shape & colored.

2. Inferior commercial varieties – The adulterants use here may resemble original

crude drug by morphological, chemical, or therapeutic characters, but are substandard in nature this is the most common practice of adulteration.

• Examples– Capsicum annum & Japanese chilies for fruits of

Capsicum minimum– Arabian senna & Obavate senna for Indian senna.– Cochin, African & Japanese ginger to adulterate

medicinal ginger

3. Substitution with exhausted drugs: – The same drug is admixed but devoid of medicinally

active constituents as they are already extracted out. – It is more common in case of volatile oil containing drugs

like fennel. coriander, clove, cardamom, & caraway etc. the dried exhausted drug material closely resembles the genuine drug. Artificial colors and fragrances are used

• Examples– Exhausted ginger & exhausted clove are adulterated with

genuine drugs.– Sometimes the coloring matters are removed & the

residue is re colored by artificial dyes like saffron & rose petals.

– Cinnamic acid is removed from Balsam of Peru.

4. Substitution with superficially similar but cheaper drugs– Morphologicaly similar but, usually no relation in

botanical, chemical or therapeutic values to the original normal drug

• Examples;– Indian Dill with European Dill or Caraway.– Clove stalk & mother cloves are often mixed with cloves.– Roots of Hybanthus for Ipecacuanha– Peach kernel oil for olive oil.– Sterculia gum for Tragacanth.– Japanese wax for Beeswax.– Dandelion leaves for Henbane.– Leaves of Xanthium for Stromonium.– Saffron is admixed with dried flowers of Carthamus

tinctorius.– Papaya seeds with pepper.

5. Substitution with Harmful adulterants and (or) worthless heavy material – Several times the wastes from market are

collected & mixed with authentic drugs. This is particularly true in liquids or unorganized drugs

• Examples:– Pieces of amber colored glasses in colophony.– Lime stones in asafoetida.– Lead shots in pieces of opium.– Manganese & its dioxides to black-grain

cochineal.– Barium sulfate to silver grain cochineal.– Rodent fecal matter to cardamom seeds

6. Substitution with synthetic principles– Sometimes, synthetic chemicals are admixed to

enhance the natural characters of the genuine drugs

• Examples– Addition of citral to lemon oil & orange oil.– Benzyl benzoate to balsam of Peru.– Methyl salicilate to oil of wintergreen– Synthetic colours in spices like Turmeric and

chilly powder

7. Substitution with vegetative matter from the same plant or sometimes the other miniature (adventitious)

– Plants growing along with the medicinal plants are mixed with drugs due to their resemblance in colour & odour with genuine drugs.

• Example– The lower plants (Epiphytes) like lichens,

mosses, liver warts, growing on the banks are mixed with Cascara & Cinchona bark.

– Excess amounts of other parts of same plants like Stalks in senna leaves, stalks in clove etc.

Adulteration of powders

• Besides entire drug the powdered forms are frequently adulterated with powdered drugs.

• Examples:– Powdered olive stones are added to drugs like

powdered gentian, licorice & pepper.– powered guaiacum wood to nuxvomica.– Exhausted ginger powder with colocynth &

ginger.– Dextrin to ipecac powder.– Red sander’s wood to chillies.– Brick powder with barks drug powders.

GOOD PRACTICES TO AVOID IGNORANT & ACCIDENTAL

ADULTERATION

Collection of crude drugs

• Leaves: just before flowering stage (Maturity) Ex. Senna, Digitalis, Belladona and Vinca.

• Leaf of aloe are collected when they are sufficiently thick• Flowers before pollination or full expansion Ex. Saffron,

Clove buds, Chammomile.• Roots : collected in autumn before vegetative process stops • Rhizomes collected when they store ample of reserve food

material and maximum chemical constituents. Ex. Valarian.• Barks: collected in spring or early summer when the

cambium is active; ex. Cinnamon.• Fruits: Collected depending upon the part of the fruits which

are Pharmacuetically important. They are collected either ripe, half ripe or fully grown.

Drying • Before marketing the crude drug, it necessary to process it

properly, so as to prevent it for a longer time & also to acquire better pharmaceutical elegance– Inhibition of microbial growth .– Inhibition of enzymatic activity. eg: vanilla, pods, cocoa seeds, gentian

roots.– facilitate pulverizing or grinding.

• Some special methods are required to be followed to attain specific standards – fermentation of cinnamon bark, tea leaves & gentian.

• Slicing is required to make it into smaller pieces to enhance drying-glycyrrhiza.

• Drugs containing volatile oils are liable to loose their aroma if not dried CAREFULY

• Depending on the type of chemical constituents, a method of drying should be suitably selected

• Natural drying; sun drying or shade drying.

• Artificial drying; tray drying, vacuum drying & spray drying

Garbling or dressing

• After drying process the drug is dressed to remove sand, dirt, foreign organic matter that is not a constitute of the drug to meet the official standard

• Excessive stems in case of lobelia, stromonium.• Stalks in cloves.• Roots, rootlets & stem bases in rhizomes.• Pieces of iron (with the magnet) in castor seeds.• Sifting is done in case of vinca & senna leaves• Pieces of bark in gum acacia.

Preservation of crude drugs

• Low moisture

• Light & temperature

• Fumigation

• Ionizing radiation

• Cold storage