This document discusses various types and methods of drug adulteration. It defines adulteration as substituting original crude drugs partially or wholly with similar but inferior substances. There are several types of adulterants including substitution with standard but cheaper varieties, superficially similar inferior drugs, artificially manufactured substances, and exhausted drugs. Specific examples are provided for each type. Adulteration can also involve adding vegetative matter from the same plant, harmful wastes, or adulterating powdered forms of drugs. The document aims to educate about common adulteration practices seen in crude drugs and medicines.

1. DRUG
ADULTERATIO
N
SIVASWAROOP YARASI

2. INTRODUCTION:
Adulteration is a practice of substituting
original crude drug partially or wholly
with other similar looking substances but
the later is either free from or inferior in
chemical and therapeutic properties.
Adulteration involves different conditions
such as deterioration (impairment of
quality), admixture (addition of one article
to another due to ignorance or
carelessness), sophistication (intentional or
deliberate), substitution (totally different
substance is added in place of original
drug), inferiority (refers to any standard
drug) and spoilage (due to attack of
microorganisms).

3. TYPES OF
ADULTERANTS:
Substitution with standard commercial varieties
Substitution with superficially similar inferior drugs.
Substitution with artificially manufactured substances
Substitution with exhausted drugs.
Presence of vegetative matter from the same plant.
Harmful adulterants.
Adulteration of powders.

4. SUBSTITUTION
WITH
STANDARD
COMMERCIAL
VARIETIES:
Adulterants used here may resemble
original crude drug by morphology,
chemical or therapeutic characters, but are
standard in nature and hence cheaper in
cost.
Most common practice of adulteration.
Examples:
•Strychnous nux-blanda or Strychnous potatorium in
place of Strychnous nux-vomica
•Capsicum minimum replaced by C. annuum
•Indian senna substituted with arabian senna and
dog senna.
•Gentian substituted by kutki

5. Substitution
with
superficially
similar
inferior
drugs:
These inferior drugs used may or may
not be having any chemical or
therapeutic value as that of original
natural drug.
Have morphological resemblance to
authentic drug.
Examples:
•Belladonna leaves are substituted with ailanthus leaves
•Saffron is admixed with dried flower of Carthamus
tinctorius.
•Sceneted bdellium is used for myrrh.
•Mother cloves and clove stalks are mixed with cloves.
•Beeswax substituted by Japan wax.

6. Substitution
with
artificially
manufactured
substances
Substance prepared to resemble
original drug are used as substitutes.
This practice is done for costlier
drugs.
Examples:
• Compressed chicory in place of coffee.
• Paraffin wax made yellow colored and
substituted for beeswax.
• Properly cut and shaped basswood for
nutmeg.

7. Substitution
with
exhausted
drugs:
The same drug is admixed but is devoid of any
medicinally active constituents as they are
already extracted out.
Common in case of volatile oil containing drugs
like fennel, clove, coriander, caraway etc.
Some natural characters like color and taste
are manipulated by adding other additives and
then substituted.
Examples:
• Exhausted gentian is made bitter with aloes
• Artificial colouring of saffron.

8. Presence of
vegetative
matter from
the same
plant:
Other plants growing with medical
plants having same appearance,
odour and some cases constituents
are used as adulterants.
Examples:
• Lower plants like moss, liver Worts and
epiphytes growing on bark portion are
mixed with cascara or cinchona.
• Stem portions mixed with leaf drugs of
stamonium, lobelia and senna.

9. Harmful
adulterants:
Wastes from market are collected
and admixed with authentic drugs.
Particularly noticed for liquids or
unorganised drugs.
Examples:
• Pieces of amber colored glass in colophony.
• Limestones in asafoetida.
• Lead shot in opium.
• While oil in coconut oils.
• Cocoa butter mixed with stearin or paraffin.
• Rodent faecal matter to cardamom seed.

10. Adulteratio
n of
powders:
Powdered forms are frequently
adulterated.
Examples:
•Dextrin in ipecac.
•Powdered liquorice or gentian admixed
with powdered olive stones.
•Exhausted ginger powder in powdered
colocynth or ginger.
•Sanders wood in capsicum.
•Powdered bark is adulterated with
brick powder.