Page 33 - Medicinal Plants_PharmD general

3. Substitution using exhausted drugs.
In this type of substitution, the active medicaments of the main plant are
extracted out and the medicinal plants are used again. This could be
done for the commodities that would retain its shape and appearance
even after extraction, or the appearance and taste could artificially
mimic the original by adding colouring or flavouring agents. This
technique is frequently adopted for the drugs containing volatile oils,
such as: clove, fennel, etc. For example, using whole clove from which
part of the volatile oil has been removed by distillation (spent cloves).
Another example is that saffron and red rose petals are recoloured by
artificial dyes after extraction.

4. Substitution using superficially similar inferior natural substances.
The substituents used may be morphologically similar but do not have
any relation to the genuine article in their constituents or therapeutic
activity. For example, addition of yellow colored starch powder to
medicinal ginger powder.

5. Adulteration using the vegetative part of the same plant.
The presence of vegetative parts of the same plant with the drug in
excessive amount is also an adulteration for example presence of stems
of the same plant mixed with the medicinally used roots.

6. Addition of toxic materials.
In this type of adulteration, the materials used for adulteration would be
toxic in nature.

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