ADULTERATION OF DRUGS OF
NATURAL ORIGIN
[Link], M. Pharm., [Link]., Ph.D
Professor and Head,
(Dept. of Pharmacognosy)
Srinivas college of pharmacy, Mangalore.
Email. usreenivas1966@[Link]
DEFINATION
Adulteration is a practice of
substituting original crude drug
partially or whole with other similar
looking substances but the latter is
either free from or inferior in chemical
and therapeutic properties.
OR
Adulteration in simple words is the
debasement of an article.
OR
Adulteration is broadly defined as
admixture or substitution of original
or genuine article/ drug with inferior,
defective or otherwise useless or
harmful substances.
ADULTRANT :
The adulterant must be some
material which in both cheap and
available in fairly large amounts.
Substitution is the addition of an
entirely different article in place of
that which is required e.g. Supply of
cheap cottonseed oil in place of olive
oil (Sweet oil).
TYPES OF ADULTERATION
1. Deliberate ( Intentional )
adulteration
2. Accidental ( In-deliberate)
adulteration
1. DELIBERATE ADULTERATION
( INTENTIONAL )
Deliberate adulteration – Are
normally commercial mainly with
the intention of enhancement of
profits.
2. IN-DELIBERATE ( ACCIDENTAL )
ADULTERATION
In - Deliberate adulteration –
Are normally naturally occurring,
accidental, careless or by ignorance
and non harmful.
REASONS FOR ADULTERATION
1. Scarcity of the drug.
[Link] high price of the drug in the
market,
eg: Clove, Cinnamon, Cardamom
3. It is very common with the
contraband
drugs e.g. Opium
CONDITIONS OR STAGES OF
ADULTERATION
The term 'adulteration' or debasement
of an article covers a number of
conditions, which may be deliberate or
In- deliberate.
Inferiority,
Spoilage,
Deterioration,
Admixture,
Sophistication ,
Substitution
Inferiority
Is a natural substandard condition
(e.g. where a crop is taken whose
natural constituent is below the
minimum standard for that
particular drug)
Spoilage
Is a substandard condition
produced by microbial or other
pest infestation, which makes a
product unfit for consumption.
Deterioration
Is the loss in the quality or value
of an article due to destruction
valuable constituents by bad
treatment or aging or to the
deliberate extraction of the
constituents.
Admixture
Is the addition of one article to
another through accident,
ignorance or carelessness e.g.
Inclusion of soil on an underground
organ or the co-collection of two
similar species.
Sophistication
Is the deliberate addition of inferior
material with intent to defraud ( cheat to
get money ) ; such materials are carefully
produced and may appear at first sight to
be genuine.
E.g. Powder ginger may be diluted with
starch with addition of little coloring
material to give the correct shade of
yellow colour.
Substitution
Is the addition of an entirely
different article in place of that
which is required.
E.g. Supply of cheap cottonseed oil
in place of olive oil (Sweet oil).
METHODS OF DRUG ADULTERATION
[Link] with Inferior/Sub- standard
Commercial
Varieties
2. Adulteration by Artificially Manufactured
Substitutes
3. Substitution by Exhausted Drugs
4. Adulteration by Addition of Worthless Heavy
Materials
( Harmful Adulteration)
5. Addition of Synthetic Principles
6. Usage of Vegetative Matter from the Same
Plant
7. Adulteration of Powders
1. Substitution with Inferior/Sub-
standard Commercial Varieties
Due to morphological resemblance to
the authentic drugs, different inferior
commercial varieties are used as
adulterant which may or may not
have any chemical or therapeutic
potential as that original natural drug
This is the most common type of
adulteration
Eg. Arabian Senna and Dog Senna
have been used to adulterate Indian
Senna (Cassia senna)
Eg. Medicinal Ginger ( Zingiber
officinale) is replaced by Japanese
ginger (Zingiber mioga )
2. Adulteration by Artificially
Manufactured Substitutes
Here the substances artificially
prepared to resemble the original
drug ( provide the general form and
appearance i.e colour, shape, size)
and are used as substitute of the
original one.
Generally , this practice is followed
for much costlier drugs
Eg. Artificial invert sugar for Honey
Eg. Paraffin wax made yellow
coloration and substituted for Bees
wax.
Eg. Compressed chicory in place of
Coffee
3. Substitution by Exhausted Drugs
In this type the same plant drug is
admixed but it is devoid of any
medicinally active constituents as
they are already extracted out. (no
active medicinal components as they
have already been extracted out).
This practice is most common in case
of volatile oil containing materials
like clove, fennel , cardamom,
cinnamon etc.,
Eg. Exhausted Clove to Clove
Eg. Exhausted Ginger to Ginger
24
5. Adulteration by Addition of Worthless Heavy
Materials ( Harmful Adulteration)
Here, the wastes from market are
collected and admixed with original
drug.
This is particularly noticed for
liquids and unorganized drugs.
Eg. Limestone in Asafoetida
Eg. Pieces of amber colored glass in
Colophony
Eg. Addition of rodent waste matter
to cardamom seed is a very harmful
adulteration
Eg. White stones in rice
6. Addition of Synthetic Principles
Sometimes to fortify inferior natural
products, synthetic principles are
added
Eg. Adding Citral to Oil of Lemon
Eg. Benzyl benzoate to Balsam of
Peru etc.
7. Usage of Vegetative Matter from the Same
Plant
Some times, the other plants
growing along with medicinal plant
are mixed due to their resembling
colour, odour and in some cases
constituents.
Eg. The lower plants like Moss, Liver
warts and epiphytes growing on
plant (bark) portion are mixed with
Cinnamon or Cinchona
Eg : Stems portions are mixed along
with leaf drugs like Lobelia, Senna,
Datura etc
8. ADULTERATION OF POWDERS
Besides the entire drugs, the
powdered forms are frequently ,
found to be adulterated.
Eg. Red Sanders wood in Capsicum
Eg. Exhausted Ginger powder in
powdered
Ginger
Eg. The powdered bark is frequently
adulterated with Brick powder
QUESTION BANK
Long Essays: 10 Marks
1. Explain in detail the various methods of adulteration of
crude drugs with examples.
2. Explain the five different methods used for
adulteration of
crude drugs and discuss.
4. Define adulteration. Explain the various methods of
adulteration with examples.
5. What do you mean by deliberate and indeliberate
adulteration give examples
Short Essays: 5 Marks
1. Define adulteration and explain the various methods
of
adulteration.
2. Define adulteration and give the reasons for
adulteration
with examples.
3. What do you mean by deliberate and indeliberate
adulteration with examples?
4. Discuss with examples on adulteration of powder and
liquid drugs.
5. Name five different methods used for adulteration of
crude
drugs and explain with examples.
7. What is adulteration? Explain in-deliberate
adulteration of
crude drugs with examples
Short Answers: 2 Marks
1. Define Adulteration and Substitution.
2. Give the various reasons of adulteration
4. Artificial adulteration with examples.
5. Name the different methods of adulteration of
crude drugs.
6. Define adulteration and sophistication.
7. What are exhausted drugs? Give examples.
8. What is harmful adulteration? Give examples.
9. Give the difference between substitute and official
drug
with example.
10. What is substitution? Give examples.
11. What is deterioration? Give example.
12. Adulteration of crude drugs with artificial
adulterants
6. Define adulteration and sophistication.
7. What are exhausted drugs? Give examples.
8. What is harmful adulteration? Give examples.
9. Give the difference between substitute and
official drug
with example.
10. What is substitution? Give examples.
11. What is deterioration? Give example.
12. Adulteration of crude drugs with artificial
adulterants
