WORKS ON DRYING AND RECEIVING MEDICINAL PLANT RAW MATERIALS

ABSTRACT

In the proposed article, the principles of collecting, drying, and accepting medicinal plant raw materials for production are considered. These provisions are recommendations from the "Good practice of growing and collecting medicinal plants".

Keywords: collection of raw materials, drying of raw materials, preparation for reception.

Medicinal raw materials are the main source of production of medical products. For further processing of the obtained products, it is necessary not only to collect and dry the material, but also to process it in such a way that the medicinal raw materials do not lose their properties. For this reason, the rules for drying plant materials and their reception are carried out very carefully.

There are proper methods for collecting medicinal plant material.  The main principles of proper collection of medicinal plant material are: work on proper storage and selection of the right storage areas. The growth of plants in an ecologically clean place is important for the raw materials obtained.

There are 3 main stages of collecting raw materials:

Stage 1: Spring, period from March to May. At this point, the plant organs have a mutual movement of their juices.

Stage 2: months from June to July. The parts of the plants that are collected at this time are mainly flowers, leaves, and herbs.

Stage 3: in the autumn, the seeds and fruits of the plant are collected during the full ripening period.

Basic rules for collecting medicinal plant raw materials

Among the rules for collecting medicinal plant raw materials, it is important:

• raw materials from plants and fruits of good quality, not susceptible to diseases, clean from various dust and other compounds;
• medicinal plants should be collected in good weather and in dry weather;
• juicy and lush fruits are harvested in the morning;
• if medicinal plant substances are toxic or allergenic, these plants should be collected with special gloves;
• for the storage of medicinal plant raw materials, it is necessary to have a special capacious container or a container with ventilated frames;
• the interval between the collection and drying processes of medicinal plant substances should not exceed two hours [1].

Rules of preparation and processing of medicinal plant raw materials

When preparing medicinal plant raw materials, there are requirements specifically designed for cleaning personnel, as well as including rules for the preparation and processing of the resulting raw materials. One of the main requirements for personnel collecting medicinal plant substances is that the collector must distinguish between herbs by type, have special experience before collecting herbs. During the harvest, clean plants are harvested that do not have diseases. The places of placement or storage of the obtained medicinal plant substances should be clean and well ventilated. The walls of the container with raw materials are stored away from other containers. Some poisonous plants should be stored in a separate room from other plants in accordance with specially established conditions. During the process of collecting medicinal plant substances, harvesting operations should be minimal.

Drying of medicinal plant raw materials

If the resulting plant is not dried under proper conditions, it will reduce a certain amount of active substances contained in the drug. The drying process of medicinal plant substances is carried out specially at a temperature of 40-60 0 C in order to eliminate the main impact of mold and mildew.

There are two types of drying process of medicinal plant substances: artificial and natural.

The drying process is carried out naturally under the influence of sunlight or in shady parts that are not exposed to the sun. In the sun, the parts of plants that have a special color, dry the rhizomes, roots. In a shaded place, dry the leaves and fruits of the plant.

The flowers and leaves of the plant should not be dried in the sun, as the chlorophyll contained in the flower and leaves decreases or changes its structure when dried. At night, medicinal plants are placed in the attic with a special thin layer.  Drying is carried out under a canopy or in shaded areas, where the sun shines a little less often, does not fall at all. And during the rains, the dried plant surface is covered with special dampers.

The process of artificial drying is carried out in special drying furnaces. Artificial drying does not require special weather conditions, as natural drying can be carried out at any time of the year. Artificial drying requires separate drying, depending on whether the plants are poisonous or non-toxic.

Assortment of medicinal plant raw materials

There are a large number of used parts of medicinal plant raw materials, which include:

• flowers or inflorescences;
• plant leaves;
• fully ripened fruits;
• seeds that ripen in the autumn period;
• plant stem crusts;
• individual plant lessons;
• grass plants (plant stems with leaves and flowers);
• plant roots;
• underground rhizomes of plants [2].

Plant stems need to be collected with special cutting tools. The roots and rhizomes of the plant are collected by digging with a shovel. The stems, roots, and other parts of the leaves are collected manually.

Rules for taking medicinal plant raw materials

When storing medicinal plant raw materials, special requirements must be observed:

* plants containing toxic and potent parts are kept away from essential oils.;

• in general storage, individual plant parts are stored separately;

* a special room is required for storing the fruits and seeds of the plant;

• if the flowers and leaves of the plant can be stored together, and the fruits and roots can not be mixed and stored in one place;

* the herbaceous parts of the plant are stored in paper or cloth packages. The shelf life of herbs, flowers, buds, leaves-1-2 years, fruits-2-3 years, roots and bark-no more than three years. With prolonged storage, this raw material loses its medicinal properties [3].

References:

1. «Proper experience in growing and collecting medicinal plants».
2. Zhaparkulova K. A., Sakipova Z. B., Ibragimova L. N., Ibadullayeva G. S., Bimurzaev A. A. Rules for the collection, procurement and storage of medicinal products of Ziziphora Bunge (Ziziphora Bungeana Juz.).
3. Guidelines for WHO-good practice in the cultivation and collection of medicinal plants. Universal Health Organization. - Geneva: 2003. - pp. 17-24.