EVALUATION OF HERBAL MEDICINES AND ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION

Abstract

Over time, the use of herbal medicines has increased rapidly. This is influenced by several main
factors, including the relatively cheap price and avoiding concerns about the side effects of
chemical drugs. In practice, screening tests need to be carried out on a drug product that will
be marketed, one of which is through a toxicity test. The use of animal models as experimental
materials provides invaluable information in many aspects of pathophysiology, treatment, and
diagnosis of human disease. Without exception, research on traditional ingredients also relies
heavily on animals in in vivo, in situ, and in vitro experiments. This study uses a literature
review with a descriptive approach based on secondary literature derived from Google Scholar,
PubMed, and Science Direct. Research conducted on animals regarding herbal medicine can
provide valuable insights into a herbal remedy. Selecting the appropriate animal for a study is
crucial to obtain scientifically convincing results. Animals used for pharmacological studies
should be standard species. Rodents, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, and dogs are often used in
traditional herbal medicine research. Moreover, herbal materials used for pharmacological
research should be standardized to control quality and ensure the reproducibility of
experimental outcomes. The standardization of herbal medicine should encompass species
identification (name, origin, description, and purity), extraction procedures, chemical analysis
of major and bioactive compounds, heavy metals, pesticides, and storage stability.