Title : Impact on demand of herbal medicinal products after covid19: Quality control and adulteration
Abstract:
Herbal medicinal products contain ingredients derived from plants. Herbal products are whole plants or parts of plants or plant extract used as pharmaceuticals, or/and as supplements and may be used as food and beverage products. These products are offered in tablets, syrup, powder, capsules, and infusion forms. Generally herbal products have few or no side effects and present safe alternative options to well being. Medicinal plants are also used as an ingredient for manufacturing beauty products and cosmetics. Herbal ingredients enrich cosmetic products and deliver better functionality in comparison to regular chemicals-based cosmetics.After the onset of the novel corona-virus pandemic, consumers are shifting their focus gradually towards more holistic approach using herbal medicines as general immunity boosters in order to mitigate the risk of virus transmission. Herbal medicinal plant-based products are also being examined as potential treatment options for post-COVID-19 symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has pushed the global market of herbal medicines to reach a size of US$178.4 billion by 2026.The gap in supply and demand, shortage of raw materials needed for the production of herbal medicinal plant products, and the increase in the cost of exported ingredients are the key factors driving introduction of spurious plant usage in the industry. Consequently, the availability of pseudo-herbal products is a major challenge.An adulterant is a substance found within other substances such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals that compromise with the safety or effectiveness of the product. Scientifically quality control of the natural products to validate the quality of natural products as well as detection of adulteration is of utmost importance for the safety and efficacy of herbal products.
