Introduction
The medicinal use of herbal products and extracts is well known in India. An ancient medicinal treaty “Ayurveda” provides detailed information on the medicinal plants and their applications. India has 16 different bioclimatic zones among 20 and stands 7th in the world for biodiversity. 15000 medicinal plants have been identified till date, of which 1200 are in regular use. The medicinal compounds are normally extracted with the help of suitable solvents and hence it is necessary to estimate the residue of these solvent in final product. These residual solvents are potentially undesirable substances when present above the permissible limits and may lead to hazardous effects to the health of the individual5 .Residual solvents pose a great risk to human health when present above the permissible limits specified by ICH guidelines on residual solvents. So it is must for the regulatory agencies to look for the proper regulation of these guidelines.
ITC Labs capabilities
In ITC Labs complete facility for estimation of residual solvent traces in herbal extract by GC-FID and GC –Head Space.