Assuring Production of Quality Raw Botanical Materials – Cultivation, Collection and Post-Harvest Practices

The present paper deals with how to promote a clear understanding for implementing Good Agricultural Practices in the framework of integrated production to assure quality of raw botanical materials. An attempt has been made to study the medicinal plants, in general from the Selection of Medicinal Plants; Good Agricultural Practices (GAP); Good Cultivation Practices (GCP); Good Field Collection Practices (GFCP); Technical Planning; population density; Geographical Distribution; Topographical Maps; collecting techniques & procedures; Source and Period of Collection; Identification; Storage; Chemical Standardization; Assay; Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP); Pre clinical studies to Clinical Approach, with special reference to maintain standardization and subsequent production of quality raw botanical materials.

In addition to the above protocols, this study deals with post harvest studies starting from preliminary examination of a medicinal plant, its morpho-anatomical, pharmacognostic, physicochemical and analytical parameters, foreign organic matter, pesticide residue, radioactive and microbial contamination, chemical assay, fingerprinting of successive extracts using IR, UV, TLC & HPLC, GC/MS techniques, phytochemical screening, analysis of inorganic constituents and fingerprinting for purity assessments of raw botanical materials.