Sahu, Alakh Niranjan. (B.Pharm., M.Pharm., Ph.D.) is a distinguished and acclaimed academician and rational researcher. He has 22 years of diverse experience in teaching, research, administration, and outreach. He currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, IIT(BHU), Varanasi, India. Dr. Sahu leads an independent research group at the Phytomedicine Research Laboratory with research interests in herbal drug formulation and standardization, phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, herbal cosmeceuticals, preparation of carbon dots for healthcare and environmental applications, classical pharmacognosy, and quality control of indigenous medicinal herbs. He is an active member of various professional bodies and a reviewer of various peer-reviewed international journals. His work in pharmaceutical engineering has been influential, impacting both the academic community and industry practices.Mohapatra, Debadatta. (B.Pharm., M.Pharm., Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Canada. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology from IIT (BHU), Varanasi, India. His research centers on Quality-by-Design (QbD)-based formulation development and novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) such as solid dispersions, transferosomes, nanoemulsions, carbon dots, hydrogels, and phytoformulations. He has expertise in analytical and bioanalytical method development, validation, herbal drug standardization, pharmacokinetics, cancer therapeutics, and in vitro and in vivo evaluations. Dr. Mohapatra has extensively published in high-impact journals, presented his work at international conferences, led multidisciplinary research teams, and actively collaborates with academia, industry, and research institutions to drive advancements in pharmaceutical sciences and innovative therapeutic strategies.Kathait, Pooja. (B.Pharm., M.Pharm.) is a Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, India. Her research covers phytopharmaceutical development, including extraction, marker-based standardization of medicinal plant compounds, quality control, and pharmacological evaluation. She is actively involved in assessing the in vitro and in-vivo biological activities of plant-derived substances for potential therapeutic applications.Malang, Soki Daeme. (B.Pharm., & M.Pharm.) is a Ph.D. research scholar at the Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, India. Her research focuses on the development, optimization, and characterization of herbal formulations, alongside investigating their pharmacological properties. Her work involves designing novel herbal formulations, analyzing their chemical composition, and evaluating their therapeutic potential through preclinical and clinical studies, with the goal of validating and enhancing the use of traditional herbal medicine.

• Chapter 1 Understanding phytopharmaceuticals, herbal drugs, conventional and novel drug delivery systems. Chapter 2 Choosing a rational dosage form for herbal drugs. Chapter 3 Analytical challenges of herbal drugs/dosage forms. Chapter 4 Instrumental methodology for qualitative and quantitative analysis, quality control, and standardization of herbal drugs and formulations. Chapter 5 Instrumental methodology for structural elucidation and phytochemical integrity analysis of herbal drugs and formulations. Chapter 6 Instrumental methodology for crystallinity analysis of herbal drugs and formulations. Chapter 7 nstrumental methodology for the evaluation of pharmaceutical properties of herbal drugs and formulations. Chapter 8 Instrumental methodology for thermal analysis of herbal drugs and formulations. Chapter 9 Instrumental methodology for estimation of volatile components and residual solvent in herbal drugs and formulations. Chapter 10 Instrumental methodology for morphological analysis of crude herbal drugs and their formulations. Chapter 11 Instruments for elemental analysis of herbal drugs and formulations.