Significance of Adulteration and substitution
Adulteration and substitution in herbal medicine refer to the unethical practices of mixing inferior or spurious substances with genuine medicinal herbs, significantly compromising their quality, safety, and therapeutic efficacy. These practices often occur due to high demand and insecure supply chains, where original drugs are replaced with inferior alternatives for profit. The introduction of non-genuine materials—such as using stems instead of roots—can undermine the integrity of herbal products, posing risks to consumers seeking effective treatments.
Synonyms: Contamination, Compromise, Dilution, Misrepresentation, Impurity, Degradation, Tampering
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
The concept of Adulteration and substitution in scientific sources
Adulteration and substitution in herbal markets arise from high demand and insecure supply chains, leading to the use of inferior or different herbal samples that resemble the intended medicinal plants in appearance or properties.
From: World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
(1) The processes of adulteration involve the intentional addition of foreign or inferior substances to raw drugs, while substitution occurs when original drugs are unavailable, leading to the use of substitutes with similar therapeutic properties.[1] (2) The practices of replacing original drugs with inferior or different substances, often to enhance profit margins.[2] (3) The practice of introducing inferior substances into herbal medicines or replacing genuine drugs with substitutes, which compromises quality and safety.[3] (4) The practice of mixing non-genuine or inferior plant materials with authentic medicinal plants, which poses significant challenges to ensuring the quality of herbal medicines.[4] (5) The practice of mixing superior plants with inferior quality products in the market, leading to compromised quality of medicinal plant materials.[5]
From: Ancient Science of Life
(1) Practices that compromise the quality of medicinal plants, such as using stems in place of roots, which can affect the therapeutic efficacy of Ayurvedic preparations.[6] (2) The illegal or unethical practice of replacing or mixing genuine herbal products with inferior or incorrect species.[7] (3) The practice of altering or replacing medicinal products with inferior or different materials, potentially compromising quality.[8]
From: Ayushdhara journal
(1) Malpractices in herbal medicine where original drugs are partially or fully replaced with inferior, harmful, or ineffective substances, often to enhance profit.[9] (2) The practice of mixing genuine medicinal products with unrelated materials, thus compromising quality and identity.[10] (3) Adulteration and substitution refer to the practices of mixing or replacing Meda with inferior or spurious substances.[11]
From: AYU (Journal of Research in Ayurveda)
(1) Adulteration and substitution in herbal markets are exacerbated by high demand and insecure supply chains.[12] (2) Practices whereby inferior or different herbal samples are used in place of the intended medicinal plants due to similarities in appearance or properties.[13]
From: International Ayurvedic Medical Journal
(1) Practices involving the intentional replacement of genuine herbal drugs with inferior or imitative substitutes.[14]