Author(s): Sarma Dhrubajyoti and Sharma Rama Kanta

Abstract: There is a very few Ayurvedic classical books that’s having the concept of shelf life or stability data. Charaka, Sushrutta etc. also doesn’t have an indication of shelf life data. The importance of quality parameters, the duration of use, storage condition etc of the Ayurvedic formulations are mentioned in some Ayurvedic text like Vangasena, Yogaratnakar etc. Now a days due to increase numbers manufacturers, to meet the demand of the customers the manufactures are using different packaging materials for different finished dose formulations. The stability data of all these formulations plays an important role in terms of efficacy of the ingredients the formulation is having. Government of India also has issued Gazette notifications with some amendments of their earlier notifications for the shelf life of different Ayurvedic dosage forms. As per the Drugs and Cosmetic Act 1940, the Ayurvedic industries need to submit the shelf life studies of the respective formulations to the regulatory body. Hence there must have standard scientific data of shelf life for different geographical region. Different technologies are being adopted by the industries for enhancing the shelf life of the formulations. An attempt is made to explore the knowledge of shelf life and stability data along with the importance of standardization through this article.