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INNOSC Theranostics and
Pharmacological Sciences Liquid herbal preparations

1. Introduction in patronage and usage by clinicians and patients. It is
therefore very crucial to perform assessment of the level
Traditional medicine is described by the World Health of microbial contamination in herbal liquid mixtures
Organization (WHO) as the total knowledge, skills and after preparation as a routine post market surveillance
practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experience activity [9,10] . In view of this, our study sought to evaluate the
indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or microbial quality of 15 selected commercial liquid herbal
not, that are used to maintain health as well as to prevent, preparations on the Ghanaian market.
diagnose, improve, or treat physical and mental illness .
[1]
Thus, African traditional medicine is indigenous to African 2. Materials and methods
culture and well patronized by the general populace.
According to the WHO, the use of traditional medicine has 2.1. Materials
increased exponentially over the past decade [1,2] . All culture media, such as nutrient agar, MacConkey

Traditional medicine plays a crucial role in healthcare Agar, cetrimide nutrient Agar, Sabouraud dextrose agar,
all over the world, especially in developing countries. In mannitol salt agar, and bismuth sulfite agar, were provided
Ghana, traditional medicines form an integral component by Central University Microbiology Laboratory stores and
of the health care system and due to cultural diversity in sourced from Merck chemical company limited.
Ghana; herbal medicines are also highly diverse. Herbal 2.2. Methods
medicines may contain either single or multiple herbs
in a single drug preparation. Due to this reason, herbal 2.2.1. Sample collection
medicines contain many chemical compounds that have The samples were obtained from the accredited pharmacies
[3]
therapeutic benefits in a wide variety of diseases . The and herbal medicine outlets in the Greater Accra region
perception that herbal medicines are relatively safe and of Ghana, specifically Central Accra, between November
harmless is one of the key reasons for the recent increase in 2019 and January 2020. The shelf life of all samples was
its usage among Ghanaians. However, the quality and safety longer than a year from the date of purchase.
of herbal products have become a matter of public interest
due to their commercialization, global market expansion, 2.2.2. Seal integrity test
and universality [2,4] . Studies carried out by Abba et al. in 2009 The seal integrity test was done by inverting and clamping
indicated that 46.67% of sampled herbal products in Kaduna each sampled herbal product onto a ring stand. The herbal
were contaminated with Salmonella typhi, while 58.67% and product was then immersed into a glass beaker full of
65.33% were contaminated with E. coli and Staphylococcus
[5]
aureus, respectively . Concomitantly, studies carried out water containing dye with the cap completely submerged.
For prevention of any leakage, the setup was monitored for
by Enayatifard et al. in 2010 revealed that all the sampled 30 min [11-13] .
herbal products (n = 20) in Sari were contaminated with
Salmonella spp. . These studies have revealed the potential 2.2.3. Preparation of media for microbial analysis
[6]
serious health implications of herbal products and raise a
serious public health concern about the paradoxical notion The various media, such as nutrient agar, cetrimide agar,
of the safety of herbal medicinal products in general. bismuth sulphite agar, mannitol salt agar, MacConkey agar,
and Sabouraud dextrose agar, were prepared according
In Ghana, approximately 65% of the population relies to the International Pharmacopeia 2019 and British
on herbal medicine alone to meet their basic health-care Pharmacopeia 2018 standards [14,15] .
needs [7,8] . The majority of these herbal products, which have
been licensed by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) of 2.2.4. Microbial analysis
Ghana for sale on the Ghanaian market, are mostly in liquid 2.2.4.1. Presence of microorganisms
dosage forms. Studies carried out by Agyeman-Duah et al.
in 2017 indicated that herbal powders marketed in Ghana Nutrient agar was used in ascertaining the presence of
were contaminated with microorganisms . Herbal liquid microorganisms in all the 15 samples (HM1 to HM15)
[7]
preparations are known to be more susceptible to microbial using the method described by Esimone et al. and Okunlola
growth due to varied reasons, such as presence of water or et al. [16,17] . The procedure was carried out in triplicates for
moisture, contamination in raw materials, and primeval each sample.
routine production processes. These microorganisms
can make the product esthetically unpleasant, change the 2.2.4.2. Test for fungi (yeast or molds)
color of the preparation, and if they are pathogenic, cause One milliliter of each sample was pipetted and subjected
serious infections in the patient with a resultant decrease to a 10-fold serial dilution to 10 . An inoculum of 0.1 mL
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Volume 6 Issue 2 (2023) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/itps.0425