Conventional herbal formulations – syrups, mixtures and tablets MCQs With Answer

Conventional herbal formulations — syrups, mixtures and tablets — form the backbone of phytopharmaceutical practice taught in B.Pharm programs. This module covers formulation science, excipient selection, extraction methods, standardization, stability testing and quality control for herbal syrups, liquid mixtures and solid tablets. Students learn about vehicle selection (sugar, sorbitol, glycerin), preservation, drying, granulation, tablet compression and coating, along with analytical assays, microbial limits and pharmacopoeial specifications. Emphasis is placed on formulation challenges unique to herbal actives such as variability in phytochemical content, interaction with excipients, and development of stability-indicating methods. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What best defines a conventional herbal formulation?

• Herbal products prepared using traditional extraction and processing techniques
• Modern synthetic drugs formulated with herbs as additives
• Only single-compound isolated phytochemical tablets
• Herbal products exclusively prepared by biotechnology

Correct Answer: Herbal products prepared using traditional extraction and processing techniques

Q2. Which vehicle is most commonly used in traditional herbal syrups for palatability?

• Propylene glycol
• Sucrose solution
• Liquid paraffin
• Polysorbate 80

Correct Answer: Sucrose solution

Q3. Which extraction method is typically used for heat-sensitive herbal constituents when preparing liquid mixtures?

• Reflux extraction
• Maceration at room temperature
• Soxhlet extraction with boiling solvent
• Hydrodistillation at high temperature

Correct Answer: Maceration at room temperature

Q4. In herbal tablet formulation, which excipient primarily improves powder flow and reduces friction during tableting?

• Binder (e.g., PVP)
• Disintegrant (e.g., starch)
• Lubricant (e.g., magnesium stearate)
• Flavoring agent

Correct Answer: Lubricant (e.g., magnesium stearate)

Q5. Which preservative is commonly used in acidic herbal syrups to control microbial growth?

• Benzoic acid or sodium benzoate
• Chloramphenicol
• EDTA
• Sorbitol

Correct Answer: Benzoic acid or sodium benzoate

Q6. What is the main challenge in standardizing herbal mixtures compared to synthetic drugs?

• Herbal mixtures are always sterile
• Batch-to-batch variability in phytochemical content
• Herbal products never require stability testing
• Herbal actives are single pure molecules

Correct Answer: Batch-to-batch variability in phytochemical content

Q7. Which analytical technique is most appropriate for quantifying marker phytochemicals in herbal tablets?

• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
• Polarimetry
• Flame photometry
• Gravimetric analysis

Correct Answer: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

Q8. In syrup formulation, what is the primary role of sorbitol when used as a sugar substitute?

• Act as a preservative
• Provide sweetness and increase viscosity while being non-cariogenic
• Function as a disintegrant
• Act as a primary active ingredient

Correct Answer: Provide sweetness and increase viscosity while being non-cariogenic

Q9. Which granulation method is preferred for herbal powders that are heat-sensitive and have poor compressibility?

• Dry granulation (slugging or roller compaction)
• Wet granulation with high-temperature drying
• Soxhlet granulation
• Direct compression without modifiers

Correct Answer: Dry granulation (slugging or roller compaction)

Q10. What is the main purpose of coating herbal tablets?

• Increase microbial load
• Improve appearance, mask taste and protect from moisture
• Remove active ingredients
• Make tablets dissolve instantly in the mouth always

Correct Answer: Improve appearance, mask taste and protect from moisture

Q11. Which test evaluates the mechanical strength of herbal tablets?

• Disintegration test
• Dissolution test
• Hardness (tablet breaking strength) test
• Loss on drying only

Correct Answer: Hardness (tablet breaking strength) test

Q12. For herbal syrups, which factor most strongly affects chemical stability of phytoconstituents?

• Color of the bottle only
• pH, temperature and presence of light or oxygen
• Tablet hardness
• Type of die used in compression

Correct Answer: pH, temperature and presence of light or oxygen

Q13. What is the purpose of microbial limit tests in herbal formulations?

• To determine tablet hardness
• To ensure microbial contamination is within acceptable pharmacopeial limits
• To measure active concentration only
• To assess color stability

Correct Answer: To ensure microbial contamination is within acceptable pharmacopeial limits

Q14. Which process is used to remove solvent after liquid extraction when preparing herbal concentrates?

• Lyophilization or vacuum drying
• Soxhlet extraction without drying
• Direct compression
• Hot melt extrusion

Correct Answer: Lyophilization or vacuum drying

Q15. In herbal mixtures, what is a tincture?

• An aqueous extract standardized to tablet form
• An alcoholic or hydro-alcoholic solution of plant material
• A sugar-based syrup only
• A dry powder inhaler formulation

Correct Answer: An alcoholic or hydro-alcoholic solution of plant material

Q16. Which excipient acts as a disintegrant in tablets to promote breakup after ingestion?

• Magnesium stearate
• Starch
• Glycerin
• Benzoic acid

Correct Answer: Starch

Q17. What is the function of a standardization marker in a herbal formulation?

• To act as a preservative
• To serve as a measurable phytochemical for quality control and dosage consistency
• To control compression force only
• To be the main excipient for tablet hardness

Correct Answer: To serve as a measurable phytochemical for quality control and dosage consistency

Q18. Which of the following is a common cause of sedimentation in herbal liquid mixtures?

• High solubility of all constituents
• Presence of insoluble plant particulates and inadequate suspending agents
• Excessive filtration to remove all solids
• Using too high a concentration of preservatives

Correct Answer: Presence of insoluble plant particulates and inadequate suspending agents

Q19. What does loss on drying (LOD) indicate in herbal raw material testing?

• Amount of volatile impurities only
• Amount of moisture and volatile matter present in the sample
• Total ash content
• Heavy metal concentration

Correct Answer: Amount of moisture and volatile matter present in the sample

Q20. During wet granulation of herbal powders, which binder is commonly used to impart cohesiveness?

• Sodium chloride
• Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)
• Magnesium stearate
• Beeswax

Correct Answer: Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)

Q21. Which parameter is directly assessed by the disintegration test for tablets?

• Rate of chemical degradation only
• Time taken for a tablet to break down into particles under specified conditions
• Microbial content
• Moisture content only

Correct Answer: Time taken for a tablet to break down into particles under specified conditions

Q22. For sugar-free herbal syrups, which sweetening agent is often preferred for diabetic patients?

• Sucrose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Sorbitol or xylitol
• Invert sugar

Correct Answer: Sorbitol or xylitol

Q23. Which regulatory document provides guidelines for quality control of herbal medicines internationally?

• WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) and WHO monographs
• USP only for synthetic APIs
• Only local newspaper reports
• ISO for mechanical parts only

Correct Answer: WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) and WHO monographs

Q24. What is the significance of ash values in herbal drug evaluation?

• They measure lipid content of an herb
• They indicate total inorganic content and possible contamination with extraneous matter
• They quantify volatile oils only
• They represent the herbal bitterness index

Correct Answer: They indicate total inorganic content and possible contamination with extraneous matter

Q25. Which packaging factor is critical to maintain stability of light-sensitive herbal syrups?

• Use of transparent glass bottles only
• Use of amber or opaque containers to protect from light
• Using metal foils for tablets only
• Packaging in hydrophilic fabric bags

Correct Answer: Use of amber or opaque containers to protect from light

Q26. Which dissolution behavior is generally expected of a well-formulated immediate-release herbal tablet?

• Very slow release over several days
• Rapid release of active constituents within pharmacopeial time limits
• No release at all
• Release only when refrigerated

Correct Answer: Rapid release of active constituents within pharmacopeial time limits

Q27. What is a major concern when using magnesium stearate excessively in herbal tablet blends?

• It enhances dissolution dramatically
• It can cause hydrophobic coating of particles and reduce dissolution rate
• It increases microbial growth
• It converts the tablet into a syrup

Correct Answer: It can cause hydrophobic coating of particles and reduce dissolution rate

Q28. Which method is used to prepare decoctions traditionally from crude plant parts?

• Cold pressing for hours
• Boiling plant material in water for a specified time and then concentrating
• Direct tableting without extraction
• Spray drying without solvent

Correct Answer: Boiling plant material in water for a specified time and then concentrating

Q29. Heavy metal testing in herbal formulations primarily screens for which contaminants?

• Lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic
• Only microbial endotoxins
• Only pesticide residues
• Only residual solvents

Correct Answer: Lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic

Q30. What is the purpose of a stability-indicating method in herbal formulation analysis?

• To only count tablet weight
• To accurately detect active constituents and their degradation products over time
• To measure tablet hardness alone
• To assess flavor strength only

Correct Answer: To accurately detect active constituents and their degradation products over time

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