Abstract

Herbal medicines have been widely used all over the world since ancient times and have been recognized by physicians and patients for their better therapeutic value as they have no or fewer adverse effects as compared with modern medicines. Phytosome is a novel approach to drug delivery system that addresses the limitations of the traditional drug delivery systems. Phytosomes are advanced forms of herbal products that are better absorbed, utilized, and as a result produce better results than conventional herbal extracts. The newly created phytosome structures contain the active ingredients of the herb bounded to phospholipids. The phospholipid molecular structure includes a water-soluble head and two fat-soluble tails. Because of this dual solubility, the phospholipid acts as an effective emulsifier. By combining the emulsifying action of the phospholipids with the standardized botanical extracts, the phytosome form provides dramatically enhanced bioavailability for lipid soluble drugs explained by faster and improved absorption in the intestinal tract.This article summarizes various drug delivery technologies for herbal actives, which are gaining more attention for better therapeutic response. The bioavailability can be improved by phytosomal drug delivery system, which can enhance the rate and the extent of drug absorption across the lipoid biomembrane which have been found promising for better and effective delivery of drug and providing much appropriate systematic drug delivery. This article reviews the current trends in phytosomes drug delivery.

Key Words: Phospholipid, Botanical extract, Emulsifier, Bioavaibility, Lipoid Biomembrane.