ABSTRACT
As Phyllanthus amarus, P. niruri, P. fraternus and P. emblica contain a large number of bioactive phytoconstituents, they are widely used in herbal formulations (HFs). Although HFs are generally harmless and consumed without any prescription, they may sometimes be not effective or may interact with other drugs. Often, this is due to adulteration or replacement with a similar substitute. It is, therefore, essential that proper assay methods are developed so that individual herbal species can be chemically characterized and quality guaranteed for both herbs and HFs. Fourteen different marketed HFs containing P. amarus, P. niruri and/or P. emblica with combination of other medicinal plants purchased from the local market of Lucknow, India were coded as HF1 to HF14.
