Marker Based Standardization of Novel Herbal Dental Gel

Standardization is a burning topic in Ayurvedic drug industry today. Tremendous work is going on herbal drug standardization. One of the important methods for standardization of herbal drugs is marker based standardization. It helps in adjusting the herbal drug formulation to a defined content of constituent/s with therapeutic activity. A chemically defined constituent of herbal drug, which is used for quality control and assurance of finished product, is known as Marker compound. Acacia nilotica Linn. (family- Leguminosae), commonly known as "Babul", is a plant mentioned in Ayurveda for maintainence of oral hygiene. Traditionally tender twigs of Acacia nilotica Linn. have been used as 'datun' for cleansing of teeth. It is one of the ingredients of many marketed dental formulations such as toothpowders and toothpastes. Catechin being a major constituent of Acacia nilotica can be used as a marker for standardization of herbal dental gel containing Acacia nilotica.