Quantitative analysis of herbal granules between major brands sold in Singapore using ultra and high-performance liquid chromatography

Traditional Chinese medicine is becoming an increasingly popular form of complementary medicine, causing a rising trend in which many patients would prefer consuming granulated herbs over dried herbs that requires long hours of boiling. This phenomenon resulted in companies producing granulated herb products for consumption. With the numerous amount of granulated herb in the market, there is a strong need to have quality control over the different products. The selection of a product that is of high quality and is safe for consumption is important for consumers, especially for physicians who prescribes these on a daily basis. By using the different analytical methods available for quality control of the various brands of herbs in Singapore, we can analyse the data that are obtained and determine which company has the best products. In this thesis, UPLC and HPLC was used to analyse the quantity of component that is retained in the granules. My results show that dried herbs remains the best form of medication. For each herb, each company has its own strength in producing different granules for different herbs. As such I feel that having different sources for granulated products would be the best.Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science