DETERMINATION OF THE SHELF LIFE AND EXPIRY DATE OF HERBAL COMPOUND DRUGS: A REVIEW

Herbal medicines are being used by nearly about 80% of the world’s population. With the
advancements in herbal drug treatments, it has now been observed that many of the constituents present
in the drug may react with each other, raising concerns about the stability of such formulations. A
detailed literature review of Unani classics and modern resources was made to find out what methods of
shelf-life determination may be suitable for Unani drugs; especially compound drugs, in the present era.
Three methods, viz., activity-based standardization, determination of biologically active compound and
standardization of herbal drugs on various physical, chemical and other parameters were found to be
suitable and practically applicable. These methods may be reproduced at various intervals to determine
the time when the drug loses its characteristic properties, i.e., its shelf-life