Comparative estimation of withanolides content from Withania somnifera obtained from commercial market in the form of tablets and capsules by HPLC technique

Abstract

Herbal formulations are increasingly sought out as medicinal products, dietary supplements and cosmetics in recent  years  and  can  be  easily  bought over  the  counter  at  pharmacy  stores  or  health  food  shops.  Herbal medicines originated firstly in the Asian countries before spreading to the West and today they are being seen as therapeutic agents for several chronic diseases. Hence standardization is important parameters to check the quality of herbal products.Standardization refers to the process of delivering a product with a specified minimum level of one or more plant constituents. In some cases this is accomplished by measuring the level of a chemical in a crude herbal extract and establishing a standard amount of that chemical for future production. The standardization of herbal formulations has become very essential as there is increase in the demand and frequent usage of the herbal formulations by the people. Monoherbal formulations containing Withania somnifera extract were collected from the commercial market and standardized for their withanolides content by High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Technique (HPLC). The total peak area of standard (withanolides) and the corresponding peak area of samples were compared and the amount present in it was calculated. The results reveal that there are lot of variations between the samples and the content of withanolides is not uniform. The present study indicates the necessity of development of analytical procedures for all herbal formulations available in the market to ensure the quality and efficacy of the products.