![Asparagus racemosus tubers The A. racemosus powder and other medicinal formulation of A. racemosus sold in the market possess a high risk of being adulterated with such synthetic steroids that act in similar way for the human reproductive system as does by steroidal saponins of shatavari. For example-Sildenafil citrate class of drugs commonly known as 'Viagra' is a synthetic formulation of 1-[4-ethoxy-3-(6, 7-dihydro-1-methyl-7-oxo-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolo [4,3d] pyrimidin-5-yl)phenylsulfonyl]-4-methylpiperazine citrate [12] (Figure](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shalvi-Agrawal/publication/343006906/figure/fig1/AS:914189677776896@1594971212195/Asparagus-racemosus-tubers-The-A-racemosus-powder-and-other-medicinal-formulation-of-A_Q320.jpg)
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HERBAL DRUG FORENSICS
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Herbal drugs are the drugs which are obtained from natural resources. Today there is an exorbitant demand of herbal drugs in the market that promises to cure ailments naturally, but due to scarcity of medicinal plants, indiscriminate deforestation and illegal trade, there is an excessive gap between the availability of medicinal plants and drugs obtained from them which have paved the way for inundate adulteration in herbal drugs. Asparagus racemosus commonly called as Shatavari is indeed a highly rejuvenating herb for both male and female, a revitalizing tonic for most of the problems related to hormonal changes and reproductive system. Thus there is an elevated level of adulteration and substitution in the form of synthetic drugs (eg: sildenafil citrate), similar looking parts of the plant (Safed Musli), plants inducing similar properties to the herbal drugs, etc. Present case study underlines how herbal drug forensics can help in untangling the hidden harms in adulterated commercial A. racemosus root powder samples as compared to standard root powder and the need to develop this undermined area of forensic science towards a better future.
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... The food and the herbal drugs (prepared from the medicinal flora having one or more bioactive constituents) market offer a huge income due to growing population, their needs, consumerism and marketism. The various food products and herbal drugs available in the market are carrying lot of adulterants and counterfeits that are almost impossible for a common man to detect [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Herbal drugs forensic is a branch of forensics and a multidisciplinary science that not only answers the questions as to 'what' and 'how much' related to drug safety and quality issues but also investigates the sources, fate, implications and possibilities related to adulteration, falsification, counterfeiting and substitution in nutraceuticals (the drugs or herbal supplements consumed for extra nutrient intake that is not fulfilled by routine diet) and herbal medicinal drugs. ...
Due to pandemic Covid-19, suddenly the vast population is drawn towards herbal
drug treatment in India. In India, Ayurveda is practised to a greater extent as it does
not have any side effects or other major effects. They are also added in many nutraceutical products like Chyawanprash, honey, etc. There are a lot of medicinal floras
sold in the market in the form of small twigs, pieces of roots, stems or leaves of which
decoction is made and consumed. The consumers are unaware of the authenticity of
these crude drugs that lead to the deterioration in their health owing to the consumption
of inferior quality of products or their substitute or the illicit bioadulterants
which look like any other common plant part. The herbal drugs could also be in
the form of tablet, powder, etc. which might be adulterated with look-alike plant
products. Thus, a new branch of Forensic Science, i.e. Herbal Drugs Forensic which
deals with identification of fake herbal product by various techniques which might
be chemical or biological in nature has come up. In fact, the analytical methods for
the testing of various bioconstituents need to be standardized and validated. Thus to
prevent herbal drug fraud, it has become necessary to develop the methods for their
detection through an emerging field of Forensic Science, i.e. Herbal Drugs Forensic.
Objective: Use of traditional medicines as aphrodisiac and sex stimulant products is a common phenomenon worldwide as well as in our country. In addition to that, in the name of dietary supplements, a number of urban people are using these items as the source of their sex potential. These products ought to be responsible for raising several sexual violence and perversion in the society. That's why these products need to be tested whether they contain only natural ingredients or any other allopathic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Methods:High performance liquid chromatography was carried out using a C18 column with a mobile phase composed of (diluted sulfuric acid:acetonitrile=60:40) and detected at the wavelength of 290nm. Presence of sildenafil in the identified products was further confirmed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Results:In the study, found that 5 out of 25 traditional medicines and 7 out of 10 dietary supplements contain sildenafil. In addition to that 4 out of total 35 samples were found to contain sildenafil that was exceeding the highest dose (100mg per dosage unit) recommended by the manufacturer (Pfizer,UK) of the brand product ViagraTM. Notably noneof the samples were labelled to contain sildenafil. Conclusion:About 35% of the market samples were adulterated with sildenafil. The developed method is simple, precise, specific, accurate, robust, and cost-effective. Hence it can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of sildenafil in falsified market products.
This paper is the second in the series and deals with the ayurvedic drugs. 1) Vidari, 2) Nagakesara, 3) Priyangu, 1) Sathi and 5) Srngi. The S. Indian market samples are evaluated which will help in gainful exploitation of the species other than the accepted source, and also solve, to a certain extent the controversial drugs issue of these drugs.
Sildenafil is one of two oral drugs approved for first-line treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Anecdotally, some young healthy men who wish to enhance their sexual performance are requesting or abusing sildenafil. In this randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, we investigated the effect of sildenafil in young men without ED. A total of 60 young healthy men age 20-40 y with no reported ED were enrolled for this single-dose home-use study. Subjects had used no medication in the 6 months prior to the study. All had been engaged in a stable relationship for at least 3 months. After completing the IIEF-5 questionnaire, patients were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either one 25 mg tablet of sildenafil (group 1) taken prior to intercourse, or an identical placebo tablet (group 2). All subjects completed a questionnaire relating to their erectile quality. There were no differences between the two groups in the reported improvement of erection quality, 12/30 sildenafil vs 10/30 placebo (Fisher's test, P=0.79). Sildenafil caused a significant reduction of the postejaculatory refractory time (12/30 vs 4/30) (chi(2) test, P=0.04). Sildenafil does not improve erections in young healthy men. Sildenafil should not be given to young healthy men to improve their erections and patients should be advised against recreational abuse of the drug. In this limited single-dose home study, sildenafil appears to reduce the postorgasmic refractory time. Although controlled studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of erection-enhancing drugs in premature ejaculation, it is possible that sildenafil might be useful for this indication.