The concept of beauty and cosmetics dates back to ancient mankind and civilization. Generally herbal cosmetics are also referred to as natural cosmetics. Herbal cosmetics are formulated, using different cosmetic ingredients to form the base in which one or more herbal ingredients are used to cure various skin ailments.

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Unit-IV Herbal Drug Technology
(Compiled by: Mr. Shmmon Ahmad, Faculty of Pharmacy, Glocal University saharanpur, email:
shmmon@theglocaluniversity.in)
Topic : Herbal Cosmetic
Introduction
The concept of beauty and cosmetics dates back to ancient mankind and civilization. Generally herbal
cosmetics are also referred to as natural cosmetics. Herbal cosmetics are formulated, using different
cosmetic ingredients to form the base in which one or more herbal ingredients are used to cure various
skin ailments.
Sources:
Plants are highly used for development of new drug products for cosmeceuticals and pharmaceutical
applications. Herbal cosmetics are the products in which herbs are used in crude or extract form.
All human being has urge to look beautiful. It is because of this reason that they have been using
different types of materials from time immemorial. Kum Kum (Kesar) is still being applied by women.
During the early period, all cosmetics items were made in the home. Natural materials like aromatic
materials, spices, herbs, resins, dyes, fats, oils, and the natives of different counties used perfumes. The
herbal products/ drugs are derived from vegetable sources from various parts of the plants like root,
leaf; flower fruit extrude or plant as a whole.
Table: Herbal Cosmetics available in Indian Market ( Indicative)
Product Brand name Company
Face Wash Deep Cleansing Apricot Face Wash Himalaya herbals
Shampoo Anti-Dandruff Shampoo-Volume & Bounce Himalaya herbals
Hair oil Amla Brahmi hair oil Ayur Herbals
Cream Herbal massage cream Ayur Herbals
Anti Ageing
cream
Dabur Uveda Age Renew 5 cream Dabur
Natural cosmetics Compatible with all skin types
Natural cosmetics are suitable for all skin types. No matter if you are dark or fair, you will find natural
cosmetics like foundation, eye shadow, and lipstick which are appropriate irrespective of your skin tone.
Women with oily or sensitive skin can also use them and never have to worry about degrading their
skin condition.
Table: Special Skin Problems and Herbal Remedies
S.
No.
Skin Problem Features Remedies
1 Chapped Skin Rough texture which
sometimes causes the
skin to crack.
Application of oils of St.John Wort, Olive
Oil or Mashed Avocado after bathing or
massaging with warm Olive Oil, Mustard
or Coconut Oil half an hour before bathing

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2 Withered Skin Very tough texture, full of
wrinkles
Carrot Juice along with a mixture of egg
white and honey
3 Sallow Skin No colour look, skin becomes
lustreless and
shows lack of vitality
Inclusion of Vitamin B in diet.
4 Sensitive Skin
React quickly
to both heat
and cold.
Sunburns and wind burns
occur easily. Skins become
dry delicate and prone to
allergic reactions.
Use of essential oil of Chamomile,
Lavender
Neroli, Rose and Sandal Wood Oil
5 Acne Pockets of infection that
manifest as red sores, boils
and pimples
Usage of Red Sanda Wood Oil.
Dry Skin Treatment
Coconut oil
Coconut oil comes from the fruit or seed of the coconut palm tree Cocos nucifera, family Arecaceae.
The melting point of coconut oil is 24 to 25°C (75-76°F) and thus it can be used easily in both liquid
and solid forms and is often used in cooking and baking. Coconut oil is excellent as a skin moisturizer
and softener. A study found that coconut oil helped prevent protein loss from the wet combing of hair
when used for fourteen hours.
Sunflower Oil It is the non-volatile oil expressed from sunflower seeds obtained from Helianthus
annuus, family Asteraceae. Sunflower oil contains lecithin, tocopherols, carotenoids and waxes. In
cosmetics, it has smoothing properties and is considered noncomedogenic.
Aloe
A native of southern Africa, the aloe vera plant has fleshy spiny-toothed leaves and red or yellow
flowers 60. It is an ingredient in many cosmetics because it heals moisturizes, and softens skin. Simply
cut one of the aloe vera leaves to easily extract the soothing gel.
Skin Protection
Green Tea
Green tea is tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis belonging to family Theaceae .Whether
applied topically or consumed as a beverage or dietary supplement, green tea is a premiere skin
protectant . It protects against direct damage to the cell and moderates inflammation. According to
research from the Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York. Studies suggest that
the catechins in green tea are some 20 times stronger in their antioxidant powers than even vitamin E.
Turmeric
Turmeric, Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbacessential oilsus perennial plant of the ginger family
Zingiberaceae. Especially in Indian wedding brides would rub with turmeric on their bodies (Bhutna)
for glowing look. New born babies also rubbed with turmeric on their forehead for good luck.
Traditionally women rub turmeric on their cheeks to produce a natural golden glow.
Hair Care
Amla

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Amla is obtained from the plant Emblica Officinalis, Family Euphorbiaceae. Amla is rich in vitamin
C, tannins and minerals such as phosphorus, iron and calcium which provides nutrition to hair and also
causes darkening of hair. Hibiscus consists of calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1, riboflavin, niacin
and vitamin C, used to stimulate thicker hair growth and prevents premature graying of hair.
Olive Oil: This oil is a fixed oil extracted from the fruits of Olea europaea, family oleaceae. The major
constituents are triolein, tripalmitin, trilinolein, tristearate, monosterate, triarachidin, squalene,
βsitosterol and tocopherol. It is used as skin and hair conditioner in cosmetics like lotions, shampoos
etc. It is a potent fatty acid penetration enhancer.
Sunflower Oil: It is the non-volatile oil extracted from sunflower seeds obtained from Helianthus
annuus, family Asteraceae. Sunflower oil contains lecithin, tocopherols, carotenoids and waxes. It has
smoothing properties and is considered noncomedogenic 53. A simple yet cost-effective oil, well tried
and tested for generations in a wide variety of emulsions formulated for face and body Products.
Dandruff Treatment
Ayurved has numerous natural medications wherein the most common herbs include Neem, Kapoor
(naphthalene), and Henna, Hirda, Behada, and Amalaki, Magic nut, Bringaraj, Rosary Pea, Sweet Flag,
Cashmere tree and Mandor.
Antioxidants: Antioxidants either synthetic or natural can be effective in preventing free radical
formation by scavenging them or promoting their decomposition and suppressing such disorders .
Currently, there is a growing interest toward natural antioxidants of herbal resources.
Tamarind: Tamarind or Tamarindus indica L. of the Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae consists
of amino acids, fatty acids and minerals of tamarind plant parts. The most distinguished characteristic
of tamarind is its sweet acidic taste due to tartaric acid. Besides being a rich source of sugars, tamarind
fruit is also an excellent source of Vitamin B and contain minerals, exhibit high antioxidant capacity
that appear to be associated with a high phenolic content, and thus can be an important food source.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is necessary for the hydroxylation of proline, procollagen, and lysine. Vitamin
C improves the changes caused by photo damage. Vitamin C has been used effectively to stimulate
collagen repair, thus removing some of the effects of photo-aging on skin.
Topic: Herbal Excipients
INTRODUCTION
Excipient in past mainly used to form bulk of formulations as it contains potent drugs which
could not be taken alone and to assure uniformity of drug in dosage form. Wide varieties of
excipients are used in different pharmaceutical dosage forms. With corresponds to various
route of administration, state of formulation, strength of formulation excipients are added in
different concentrations. Excipient is used as stabilizing agent for active ingredient in
formulation; make sure the active compound as “active” and stable essentially till the shelf life
of the product to compete with other products in market. Excipients can also improve patient
compatibility by masking unpleasant taste or texture and enable to guarantee, that required
amount of the active constituent reached the right place of the body at estimated time. Due to
advancement in drug delivery system, there is need of novel excipients to fulfill the multi-
functional role like affecting release pattern, improvement of bioavailability and stability,
enhancement of patient acceptability. For these purpose researchers have been investigated
both natural and synthetic excipients. However, disadvantages of synthetic excipients like

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toxicity, expensive, environmental issues, and incompatibility led to give more emphasis on
extensive investigation of natural excipients. Herbal excipients are of plant origin extracted and
isolated from plant parts. Being natural the herbal excipients are affordable, non-toxic,
biodegradable with some exception, biocompatible, eco-friendly and cab be modified
chemically thus attract the consumers. As plants sources are renewable and can be cultivated
or harvested in sustainable manner, can supply constant availability of raw material. Waste
from food industry can be achieved as a raw material to extract herbal excipient. These are
other reasons for increase in demand of herbal material as excipient.
Classification of Excipients
Sl.No Use/Property of Excipients Herbal Source
1 Colorants • Henna,Indigo,Caramel, Chorophyll,
Amaranth
2 Sweeteners • Glychyrrhiza, Honey, Stevia
3 Binding Agents • Acacia,Gelatin.,Tragacnth,Starch
4 Viscosity Enhancer • Pectin ,Tragacanth,C Ellulose, Guar Gum
5 Diluents • Lactose ,Starch,Mannitol,Sucrose
6 Disintegrating Agents • Starch, Isapgol Husk,CMC
7
Ointment Bases •
Lanolin, Bees Wax
8 Emulsifying Agent • Acacia, Agar, Guar Gum
9 Flavoring Agents • Cardamom, Vanilla ,Lemon Oil, Orange Oil
10 Perfumes • Rose ,Lavender, Sandal Wood
**(Some of them Excipients you studied in 5th
Sem Subject INDUSTRIAL PHARMACY for further detail
you can referred)
Table: Excipients and their Herbal source
Colorants and coloring agents
1) Colorants are natural dyes which are obtained from plants, animals, minerals or
invertebrates.
2) The common colorants obtained from vegetable dyes derived from plant source like roots,
barks, leaves, wood and other biological sources like fungi and lichens
3) Synthetic colorants are produced in laboratories and are not found in nature
4) The colorants from natural sources are proved to be safe due to their noncarcinogenic ,non-
toxic and biodegradable nature.

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5) There are several active constituents in plants which act as a colorants like different color
pigments such as anthocyanins, carotenoids, betalains, crocin, anthraquinone.
Sweetners
Sweeteners are used to improve palatability and shelf life of food products.
Impart sweet taste to the formulations
They don’t contribute to the weight gain, don’t cause cavities and don’t raise blood sugar
levels.
Sweetness reduces or masks bitterness, sourness and saltiness. Example: Glychyrrhiza,
honey, stevia
Binders
Binders are the excipients ,the dry powders or liquid, which is used to bind or hold all
ingredients used in formulation of dosage form. Binders are mixed in formulation to convey
plasticity or to increase the bonding strength between the particles in formulation.
Types of binders
1) On the basis of their source
i) Naural polymers: starch, gelatin, acacia, tragacanth and gums
ii) Synthetic polymers: PVC,HPMC,MC,EC,PEG
iii) Sugar : Sorbitol,Glucose
2) on the basis of their application
i) Solution binders : gelatin ,cellulose ,starch,PEG
ii) Dry binders: Methyl cellulose
Diluents
Diluents are those ecxipients which are used to enhance the bulk of any solid formulation or
to dilute any liquid formulation..
Major function of diluents / fillers is that ,they provide a structural from and fill the size of
dosage form and make them suitable for administration by enhancing the bulk volume
It is used to improved cohesion, enhance the flow and adjust the weight of the tablet as per
die cavity.
Viscosity Enhancer
A thickening agent is a substance which can increase the viscosity of a liquid without
substantially changing its property.
A viscosity modifier can decrease the thickness of a liquid to improve pour ability and
ultimately make it more palatable.

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Some thickening agents may also function as stabilizers when they are used to maintain the
stability of emulsion.
Disintegrants
Disintegrating agents accelerate the swelling or disintegration of tablet once it comes in contact
with a fluid. Disintegrates are added to the formulation as it breaks the dosage form into smaller
particles when it comes in contact with the liquid ,smaller fragments have greater surface area
which will increase the dissolution of the drug. E.g. – starch, cellulose.
Characteristics of Good Disintegrates
Poor solubility
Poor gel formation
Good hydration capacity
Good compressibility and flow property
No tendency to form complexes with the drug
Flavors
Flavors can be used to mask unpleasant tasting active ingredients and improve the acceptance
that the patient will complete a course of medication .
FDA defines a natural flavor as the “ the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive protein
hydrolysate, distillate or any product of roasting ,heating or enzymolysis, which contains the
flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice or vegetable
juice,herb,barks,bud,root ,leaf etc
Perfumes
The word comes from the Latin word meaning a sweet smelling fluid containing the essence
of flowers and other substances. Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oil and aroma
compounds Fragrances used for external applications such as spray perfumes, body care, home
care, cosmetics, soaps and detergents .
Natural sources
1) Essential oils-Citronella oil, lemon grass oil, sandal wood oil, orange oil
2) Semisynthetic materials -origin will be natural-subject to reactions vanillin, hydroxy
citronellal.
3) Animal origin- Musk , (musk deer Moschus moschiferus, Moschidae ) Civet (Civettictis
civetta , Viverridae)
Topic: Herbal formulations
Herbal Drug Formulations

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Herbs and products containing herb(s) have been in trade and commerce and are currently
used for a variety of purposes. The WHO defines an herb as being fresh or dried, fragmented
or powdered plant material, which can be used in this crude state or further processed and
formulated to become the final herbal product. Treatment of herbs by squeezing, steaming,
roasting, decocting or infusing in water, extracting with alcohol, or sweetening and baking
with honey can create herbal products
“Herbal formulation shall mean a dosage form consisting of one or more herbs or processed
herb(s) in specified quantities to provide specific nutritional, cosmetic benefits, and/or other
benefits meant for use to diagnose treat, mitigate diseases of human beings or animals and/or
to alter the structure or physiology of human beings or animals”.
Herbal Syrup
An herbal syrup is prepared by combining a concentrated decoction with either honey or
sugar, and sometimes alcohol. The base of such a syrup is a strong herbal decoction. Mixing
a decoction with honey or sugar helps to thicken and preserve the decoction. This increases
the shelf life of the decoction and often creates a soothing application that benefits situations
such as sore throat, cough, dry irritated tissues, and digestive issues. The added sweetener can
also help to increase the palatability of some herbs. Many folks, including children, find
syrups to be delicious!
Herbal Tablets
Herbal Tablets are solid dosage form manufactured either by dry granulation, or direct
compression containing medicaments with or without excipients, intended to produce desired
pharmacological response. herbal tablets available in market are SUALINE (Hamdard),
GSEX(Himalaya), Herbal Multivitamins etc.
Tablets preparation
Tablets are usually prepared by compression technique, which includes various ingredients
like diluents, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, glidants, etc
Diluents: Diluents are normally used as a fillers, in order to increase the bulk of the tablet.
Example for diluents includes lactose, starch, mannitol, etc
Binders and adhesives: Binders are either added in wet form or dry form, which serves as a
binding agent in the formulation. Commonly used binders includes starch, carboxy methyl
cellulose, acacia. The type of the binder added vary with the formulation. The amount of
binder added and type of binder influences the tablet properties.
Disinetegrants: These are added , in order to aid in disintegration or breaking of tablet in
GIT. Disintegrants like starch, clays, cellulose are used.
Lubricants: Lubricants prevents sticking of tablets to dies and punches. : talc, stearic acid,
magnesium stearate.
Glidant: They reduce the friction, thus aid in free flow of granules or powder. Commnly
used glidants includes starch and talc

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Colouring agents: Helps in elegant appearance of the product. Examples of coloring agents
like brilliant blue
Sweeting agent: Sweeting agent are added in order to mask the bitter taste of the drug. Ex:
aspartame, mannitol, lactose.
Flavouring agent: Added in order to impart flaovour or odour to the table formulation
Novel dosage forms (Phytosomes)
Phytosomes
Phytosomes means herbal drug loaded in vesicles, which is available in the nano form. The
phytosome provide an envelope, like coating around the active constituent of drug and due to
this the chief constituent of herbal extract remains safe from degradation by digestive
secretion and bacteria. Phytosome is effectively able to absorb from a water loving
environment into lipid loving environment of the cell membrane and finally reaching to blood
circulation. It can be used in the treatment of various fatal diseases without denaturing the
active phytocompounds and enhanced bioavailability. Phytosomes are obtained by reacting
phospholipid (either of natural or synthetic origin) with selected botanical constituents with
an appropriate solvent, and due to their physical and chemical efficiency, these phyto
complex can be considered as a novel dosage form. The current review highlights the future
scope and emerging technologies in the field of NDDS(New drug Delivery System) for the
benefit of herbal and traditional medicines prepared from plant origins.
Figure Phytosome Structures
PREPARATION OF PHYTOSOME
Phytosomes are generally prepared by adding accurate amount of phospholipid, i.e., Soya
lecithin with herbal extracts in an aprotic solvent. Soya lecithin contains main constituent,
i.e., Phosphatidylcholine which is having a dual function. Phosphatidyl part is lipophilic in
nature and choline part is hydrophillic in nature. The choline part attached with hydrophilic
chief active constituents, where as phosphatidyl part lipid soluble compound attached with
choline bound complex. It results in the formation of lipid complex with better stability and
bioavailability
Physicochemical properties

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*Phytosomes are the complex between phytoconstituents and natural phospholipid, and the
complex is obtained by reacting an appropriate amount of phospholipid and chief constituents
in particular solvent.
*. The interaction between phospholipid and substrate is due to the development of hydrogen
bonds between the polar head of phospholipid and the polar functionalities of the chief
constituents.
*. On treatment with hydrophilic environment phytosome shows a cell like structure like
liposomes, but in a liposome, the chief constituent interacts within the internal pocket while
in phytosome the chief active constituents are enveloped the polar head of phospholipid and
becoming an integral part of the membrane.
Assignment A (UNIT 4th
), 5 Marks
Q.1 Explain in detail about Herbal Cosmetics and their application with Herbal
Cosmetics Product available in Indian Market
Q.2 short note on Dandruff herbal Treatment.
Q.3 Elaborate Herbal Excipients with their classification, use and herbal source.
Q.4 What is the role of Binder, Disintegrator and diluents in tablet formulation
Q.5. Write a short note on any two.
a).Herbal Preparation b). Herbal Tablets c). Phytosomes
(Highlight Text have important points. Take a Print of the Document and
Submit 7 to 12 page Hand written Assignment whenever ask)
…………………… (Shmmon Ahmad)
Assistant Professor
Deptt. of Pharmacy