Author(s):

Smiley Gulati, AK Pandey and Amit Gupta

Abstract: Post-harvest techniques of medicinal plants have direct impact on their quality with respect to colour and their active ingredients. Among the various post-harvest methods, drying is the most common and important method to preserve the quality of herbs. Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh) is one of the most important medicinal plants used in various Ayurvedic formulations for its broad medicinal uses. The therapeutic activity of the herb has been attributed to andrographolide, a bicyclic diterpenoid lactones present in the herb. There are a wide range of methods available for drying the herb but they also possess several disadvantages like economic feasibility, environmental dependency, lower energy efficiency and longer duration. Inadequate drying methods lead to the deterioration of quality rendering the product unsafe for consumption. Therefore, in the present study the impact of drying methods on the colour and andrographolide content of A. paniculata herb was analyzed. Kalmegh herb was subjected to different drying treatments viz., sun drying, shade drying, microwave assisted drying, oven drying and hot air drying. Kalmegh samples were analysed for their andrographolide content by HPTLC. The andrographolide content varied from 2.89% to 2.56% with different drying methods. The highest andrographolide content (2.89%) was found in shade dried samples. The results revealed that, the shade drying method is the most suitable method for preserving green colour and andrographolide content in A. paniculata.

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