Ayurveda medical system is one of the earliest documented health care systems in Asia and it is the second major health care providing service in Sri Lanka. Commercial manufacturing of Ayurveda pharmaceuticals has been legislated for the last six decades. Well-documented standards for commercially available herbal raw materials are not regulated in manufacturing process. Therefore, identifying standard parameters for herbal raw materials are highly significant. Microbial quality of commercially available dried fruits of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica and Phyllanthus emblica that are widely used in various types of Ayurveda pharmaceuticals were evaluated and compared with recommended microbial count with reference to establishing microbial standards of herbal raw materials. Randomly collected dried crushed fruit samples were subjected to evaluate the microbial quality in terms of cfug-1 using pour plate method and spread plate method. Bacterial count of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica and Phyllanthus emblica were 1.85 x 104, 2.91 x 105and 2.66 x 105 cfug-1 respectively. Yeast and mold count of Terminalia chebula were 2.83 x 104 cfug-1, Terminalia bellerica were 2.9 x 104 cfug-1 and Phyllanthus emblica were 3.03 x 104 cfug-1. Bacterial count of tested samples of Terminalia bellerica and Phyllanthus emblica were higher than the value recommended by WHO for dried powdered herbal materials (1x 105cfu/g). Yeast and mold count of tested samples were higher than the recommended value (1x 103cfu/g). Improper collection, processing, transportation and storing methods of raw materials could be the reasons for higher microbial count of the samples. Therefore, improving and regulating standards for processing method and supply chain in raw materials is required for enhancing quality, safety and efficacy of herbal pharmaceuticals.
Microbial Quality; Terminalia chebula; Terminalia bellerica; Phyllanthus emblica
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