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The intensely bitter Ayurvedic plant - Andrographis paniculata, was introduced to the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria, in the 1990s, with seeds obtained in India. This study aimed to verify the key quality parameters of the air-dried herb and the aqueous extract of A paniculata; and to estimate their shelf lives, for the purpose of local production of the drug, according to good manufacturing practice (GMP). The appearance, moisture content, extractability of the herb or solubility of the extract, pH, light absorption, chromatographic properties, bitterness values and foaming indices of the air-dried herb and extract (stored in capped glass bottles at normal room temperature and humidity) were monitored periodically (at 0, 3, 9, 21 and 39 months) using official procedures. The results showed that the above named features did not change significantly for both the dried herb and extract, for up to 21 months or more, but the herb appeared to have better keeping qualities, as judged by the changes noticed in appearance, extractability, solubility, bitterness values and foaming indices. The results suggest that the dried herb might be more stable than the extract, and that a shelf life of up to a year or more may be considered for both the herb and the extract. |
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