Comparative Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Evaluation of Marketed and Wild-Collected Herbal Drugs: A Systematic Review
Keywords:
Pharmacognostic evaluation, Phytochemical profiling, Herbal drugs, Marketed vs, Wild-collected, Quality controlAbstract
Background: People worldwide use herbal medicines, but there are major differences in their quality depending on if they are wild-collected or available from the market, because of adulteration, environmental changes and processing. Such differences change their appearance, chemical properties and the potential of their therapeutic use.
Objective: This study reviews the differences in Pharmacognostic and phytochemical characteristics between herbal drugs collected from wild versus market sources, with special attention to their quality and usefulness for treatment.
Methods: For this study, reports were searched through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct for studies published between 2000 and 2025. Relevant information on normalized measurements of macroscopic, microscopic, physicochemical and phytochemical factors was obtained and investigated.
Results: Compared to wild herbal samples, herbal drugs marketed through firms usually had reduced taste, appearance and purity. Tests showed that commercial products contain less of certain bioactive chemicals and also showed inconsistent chromatographic patterns. The bioactivity of these microalgae such as their ability to combat oxidative damage and microbes, was also reduced.
Conclusion: The research shows that the herbal industry must strongly enforce both Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical standardization. Combining old and new analytical tools is vital to confirm the safety, effectiveness and compliance of herbal medicines.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Bokov DO, Krasikova MK, Sergunova EV, Bobkova NV, Kovaleva TYu, Bondar AA, et al. Pharmacognostic, Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Potential of Cyclamen coum Mill. Pharmacogn J. 2020;12(1):204–12.
Snehalatha VR, Rasmi AR. Phytochemical evaluation and pharmacognostic standardization of Syzygium palghatense endemic to Western Ghats. Future J Pharm Sci. 2021;7:147.
Hunter W. Pharmacognostic Analysis of Medicinal Plants: Integrating Traditional Knowledge with Modern Science. J Pharmacogn Nat Prod. 2024;10(3):309.
Raja WY, Bhat ZA, Chashoo IA. Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Characteristics of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle Stem and Root Bark: A Comparative Study. Pharmacogn J. 2017;9(5):668–73.
Mourya R, Sharma R. Exploring the Role of Phytoconstituents for Endocrine Disorder: A Review. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(2):385–401.
Bhandari S, Trivedi R, Garg V, Saini A, Gupta M, Singh R. Advancements in Quantitative and Qualitative Methods for Quality Control of Herbal Drugs: A Comprehensive Review. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(2):402–10.
Nagaraj AP, Venkatappa AH, Ramakrishna JK, Nagaraju PK, Ramesh B, Eain NU. Mechanistic Role of Phytophenolic Acids in the Management of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Comprehensive Review. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(2):411–5.
Jain NK, Anand S, Kesari P, Rani R, Kumar S, Tiwari A, et al. Unveiling the Phytochemical Profile and Therapeutic Benefits of Solanum xanthocarpum: A Systematic Review. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(2):440–51.
Chaudhuri A, Gauttam VK, A A, Negi S, Singh G, B B, et al. Design and Evaluation of Novel in situ Gel Forming Ocular Drug Delivery System of Kaempferol for Sustain Pharmacological Response against Cataract. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(1):173–84.
Kaushik S, Bhandari P, Bhandari A, Bhatt B, Mittal H, Babbar A. Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Properties of Oxalis dehradunensis Raizada in Rats. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(1):185–91.
Sharma S, Modi K, Asodariya V, Katara SK, Shah M. Pharmacognostic Specifications and RP-HPLC Analysis of Manilkara hexandra Stembark. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(1):154–61.
Peeriga R, Manubolu K, Somasundaram J, Arabath SA, Petchimuthu S, Manepalli SNJ, et al. Exploring the Glycosidic Compounds in Ipomoea sagittifolia Stems: A High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Approach. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(1):162–72.
Madhivardhana P, Bharathy V, Karthikeyan A. Study of in silico and in vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Artemisia pallens Wall Ex. DC. Pharmacogn Res. 2025;17(1):143–53.
Abbad S, Aissaoui N, Gana FZ. Marrubium vulgare Leaf Extract-Assisted Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles: Optimization, Characterization and In Vitro Exploration of Their Antimicrobial, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential. Pharmacogn J. 2025;17(1):7–21.
da Silva CA, Mfengwana PH, Burt FJ. The In-Vitro Antiviral Activity of Carissa edulis, Tulbaghia acutiloba, and Tetradenia riparia on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2. Pharmacogn J. 2025;17(1):47–57.
Shekwa W, Mashilo M, Sydney MT, Peter M. In Vitro Antibacterial Activity, In-Silico Molecular Docking and Pharmacokinetic Profile of a Phytosterol Isolated from The Leaves of Carissa bispinosa. Pharmacogn J. 2025;17(1):99–106.
Bayarsaikhan E, Turtushikh D, Buyanjargal E, Norovnyam R, Otgonsuren D, Khuvitavilan B, et al. Medicinal Application of the Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule L.) in Traditional Mongolian Medicine. Pharmacogn J. 2025;17(1):71–6.
Risma R, Aryati A, Bambang P. The Mechanism of Nanocurcumin in Inhibiting Parasitemia in Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) Model Mice. Pharmacogn J. 2025;17(1):84–8.
Mudjupa C, Rinthong P. In vitro 3 Hydroxy 3 methylglutaryl coenzyme: A Reductase Inhibition Assay of Triphala Ayurvedic Formulation. Pharmacogn Res. 2020;12(4):337–41.
RaviKKumar VR, Rathi S, Singh S, Patel B, Singh S, Chaturvedi K, Sharma B. A Comprehensive Review on Ulcer and Their Treatment. Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2023 Dec 21;39:e20230006. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2023.006. PMID: 38755116.
Rajput DS, Gupta N, Singh S, Sharma B. A Comprehensive Review: Personalized Medicine for Rare Disease Cancer Treatment. Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2023 Dec 23;39:e20230008. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2023.008. PMID: 38830754.
Singh S, Chaurasia A, Rajput DS, Gupta N. Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery System and There Future Prospective: Are a Promising Approach for Effective Treatment? Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2023 Dec 20;39:e20230005. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2023.005. PMID: 38751344.
Kumar, S., Saha, S., Sharma, B., Singh, S., Shukla, P., Mukherjee, S., Agrawal, M., Singh, K., & Singh, T. (2023). The role of resveratrol in Alzheimer's disease: A comprehensive review of current research. Current Functional Foods, 2(2), Article e121223224364, 13 pages. https://doi.org/10.2174/0126668629269244231127071411
Patel S, Ismail Y, Singh S, Rathi S, Shakya S, Patil SS, Bumrela S, Jain PC, Goswami P, Singh S. Recent Innovations and Future Perspectives in Transferosomes for Transdermal Drug Delivery in Therapeutic and Pharmacological Applications. Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2024 Oct 24;40:e20240031. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2024.031. PMID: 39442957.
Vaghela MC, Rathi S, Shirole RL, Verma J, Shaheen, Panigrahi S, Singh S. Leveraging AI and Machine Learning in Six-Sigma Documentation for Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance. Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2024 Jul 18;40:e20240005. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2024.005. PMID: 39019923.
Patel S, Ismail Y, Singh S, Rathi S, Shakya S, Patil SS, Bumrela S, Jain PC, Goswami P, Singh S. Recent Innovations and Future Perspectives in Transferosomes for Transdermal Drug Delivery in Therapeutic and Pharmacological Applications. Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2024 Oct 24;40:e20240031. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2024.031. PMID: 39442957
Kumar, S., Saha, S., Pathak, D., Singh, T., Kumar, A., Singh, K., Mishra, A. K., Singh, S., & Singh, S. (2024). Cholesterol absorption inhibition by some nutraceuticals. Recent Advances in Food, Nutrition & Agriculture, 16(1), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.2174/012772574X285280240220065812
Singh, S., Chaurasia, A., Rajput, D. S., & Gupta, N. (2024). An overview on mucoadhesive buccal drug delivery systems & approaches: A comprehensive review. African Journal of Biological Sciences (South Africa), 6(5), 522–541, DOI: 10.33472/AFJBS.6.5.2024.522-541
Kumar, S., Singh, S., Rajput, D., Sharma, B., Chaturvedi, K., Singh, N., Saha, S., Singh, K., & Mukherjee, S. (2024). Pharmacological approaches and herbal interventions for Alzheimer's disease. The Natural Products Journal, 14(8), Article e220124225945. https://doi.org/10.2174/0122103155275266231123090138
Ravikkumar VR, Patel BD, Rathi S, Parthiban S, Upadhye MC, Shah AM, Rehan SSA, Samanta S, Singh S. Formulation and Evaluation of Drumstick Leaves Tablet as An Immunomodulator. Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2024 Jun 21;40:e20240004. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2024.004. PMID: 38902996.
Sharma, A., Bara, G., Keshamma, E., Sharma, B., Singh, S., Singh, S. P., Parashar, T., Rathore, H. S., Sarma, S. K., & Rawat, S. (2023). Cancer biology and therapeutics: A contemporary review. Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research, 14(10), 1229-1247.
Dewangan, H. K., Singh, S., Mishra, R., & Dubey, R. K. (2020). A review on application of nanoadjuvant as delivery system. International Journal of Applied Pharmaceutics, 12(4), 24–33. https://doi.org/10.22159/ijap.2020v12i4.36856
Singh S, Chaurasia A, Gupta N, Rajput DS. Effect of Formulation Parameters on Enalapril Maleate Mucoadhesive Buccal Tablet Using Quality by Design (QbD) Approach. Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi. 2024 Jun 27;40:e20240003. doi: 10.62958/j.cjap.2024.003. PMID: 38925868.
Patel SK, Prathyusha S, Kasturi M, Godse KC, Singh R, Rathi S, Bumrela S, Singh S, Goswami P. Optimizing Irbesartan Fast Dissolving Tablets Using Natural Polysaccharides for Enhanced Drug Delivery and Patient Compliance. Int Res J Multidiscip Scope (IRJMS). 2025;6(1):1181-1190. https://doi.org/10.47857/irjms.2025.v06i01.02542
Prince Patel, Piyush Jain, Hetvarth Patel, Aman Tiwari, Sanjesh Rathi and Shubham Singh (2025) Formulation, optimization and evaluation of mucoadhesive buccal tablets of ondansetron for enhanced bioavailability and sustained drug release. Biochem. Cell. Arch. 25, 1063-1069. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51470/bca.2025.25.1.1063
Doshi GM, Badgujar AD, Mathurvaishya IS. Gas Chromatography High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Elucidation and in vitro Cell Line Studies (Sulforhodamine B) on Niosomal Gel of Benincasa hispida. Pharmacogn Res. 2020;12(4):342–51.
Paul A, Raj S, Vibhuti A, Pandey RP. Larvicidal Efficacy of Andrographis paniculata and Tinospora cordifolia against Aedes aegypti: A Dengue Vector. Pharmacogn Res. 2020;12(4):352–60.
Prakash O, Malik S, Rani KV, Verma VK. Phytochemical Screening and Bioactive Potential of Pod Seed Extracts of Leucaena leucocephala Linn. Pharmacogn Res. 2020;12(4):361–7.
Bello SA, Ayofe TA, Yakub MF, Jamiu AT. Comparative Analysis of the Antimicrobial Potential of Stem and Fruit Extracts of Calotropis procera. Pharmacogn Res. 2020;12(4):368–74.
Deore SL, Bhansali PB, Baviskar BA. Pharmacognostic, Phytochemical and in vitro Biological Evaluation of Blepharis repens (Vahl) Roth. Pharmacogn J. 2020;12(5):952–61.
Balasubramaniam G, Sekar M, Varadarajan M, Badami S. Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Activities of Strobilanthes kunthianus against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats. Pharmacogn J. 2020;12(5):1143–51.
Agustina DW, Wahyuningsih MD, Widyarti S, Soewondo A, Tsuboi H, Rifa’i M. Noni Juice (Morinda citrifolia) to Prevent Cancer Progression in Mice Induced DMBA and Cigarette Smoke Exposure. Pharmacogn J. 2020;12(5):946–51.
Ferubko EV, Rendyuk TD, Dargaeva TD, Nikolaev SM. Development and Evaluation of New Choleretic Agent. Pharmacogn J. 2020;12(5):962–6.
Chowdhury P. In Silico Investigation of Phytoconstituents from Indian Medicinal Herb Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy) against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) by Molecular Dynamics Approach. arXiv preprint. 2020;arXiv:2007.00621.
Kuruvilla J, Anilkumar M. Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Evaluation of the bark of Grewia tiliifolia Vahl. Pharmacogn J. 2020;12(5):967-976.
Sarwade PP, Nisha KB, Hari I, Tawale H, Ambika J, Thaiyalnayagi S, et al. Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant Activity of Wild Medicinal Plants of Himalayan Range. J Res Appl Sci Biotechnol. 2024;3(5):131-146.
Gupta M, Sumaiya S, Ali S, Naved T, Sharma A, Ahmad A, et al. Pharmacognostical and Phytochemical Evaluation of a Unani Polyherbal Formulation: Dawa ul Kurkum by HPTLC. Separations. 2023;10(2):89.
Rajapaksha HKK, Fernando MN, Nelumdeniya NRM, Bandara AWMKK, Silva ARN. Evaluation of In vitro anti-inflammatory activity and Insilico pharmacokinetics and molecular docking study of Horsfieldia iryaghedhi. arXiv preprint. 2024;arXiv:2405.07449.
Kaur R, Zhang S, Berwal B, Ray S, Kumar R, Varshney LR. From Phytochemicals to Recipes: Health Indications and Culinary Uses of Herbs and Spices. arXiv preprint. 2024;arXiv:2410.17286.
Zheng X, Wu H, Jin H, Li R. FMCHS: Advancing Traditional Chinese Medicine Herb Recommendation with Fusion of Multiscale Correlations of Herbs and Symptoms. arXiv preprint. 2025;arXiv:2503.05167.
Waghmare R, Tatke P. Pharmacognostic Evaluation of Lagerstroemia speciosa Fruit. Int J Pharm Sci Res. 2021;12(11):5842-5847.
Ahmad A, Husain A, Mujeeb M, Khan SA, Alhadrami HAA, Bhandari A. Quantification of total phenol, flavonoid content and pharmacognostical evaluation including HPTLC fingerprinting for the standardization of Piper nigrum Linn fruits. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2015;5(1):101-107.
Gempo N, Yeshi K, Jamtsho T, Jamtsho L, Samten, Wangchuk P. Development of quality control parameters for two Bhutanese medicinal plants (Aster flaccidus Bunge and Aster diplostephioides (DC.) Benth. ex C.B.Clarke) using traditional and modern pharmacognostical platforms. Heliyon. 2024;10:e24969.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
