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An active ingredient (AI), also active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or bulk active, is the substance in a drug
Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine or medicament, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease....
 that is pharmaceutically active. The term is similarly used in pesticide formulation
Pesticide formulation

The biological activity of a pesticide, be it chemical or biological in nature, is determined by its active ingredient . Pesticide products very rarely consist of pure technical material....
s where the term active substance is also used. Some medications may contain more than one active ingredient. The traditional word for the API is pharmacon (from Greek: (f??ľa???), adapted from pharmacos) which originally denoted a magical substance or drug
Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function....
.

A dosage form
Dosage form

A dosage form is the physical form of a dose of medication, such as a capsule or injection . The route of administration is dependent on the dosage form of a given drug....
 of a drug is traditionally composed of two things: The API, which is the drug itself; and an excipient
Excipient

An excipient is an inactive substance used as a carrier for the active ingredients of a medication. In many cases, an "active" substance may not be easily administered and absorbed by the human body; in such cases the substance in question may be dissolved into or mixed with an excipient....
, which is the substance of the tablet, or the liquid the API is suspended in, or other material that is pharmaceutically inert
Inert

In English, to be inert is to be in a state of doing little or nothing....
.






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An active ingredient (AI), also active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or bulk active, is the substance in a drug
Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine or medicament, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease....
 that is pharmaceutically active. The term is similarly used in pesticide formulation
Pesticide formulation

The biological activity of a pesticide, be it chemical or biological in nature, is determined by its active ingredient . Pesticide products very rarely consist of pure technical material....
s where the term active substance is also used. Some medications may contain more than one active ingredient. The traditional word for the API is pharmacon (from Greek: (f??ľa???), adapted from pharmacos) which originally denoted a magical substance or drug
Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function....
.

A dosage form
Dosage form

A dosage form is the physical form of a dose of medication, such as a capsule or injection . The route of administration is dependent on the dosage form of a given drug....
 of a drug is traditionally composed of two things: The API, which is the drug itself; and an excipient
Excipient

An excipient is an inactive substance used as a carrier for the active ingredients of a medication. In many cases, an "active" substance may not be easily administered and absorbed by the human body; in such cases the substance in question may be dissolved into or mixed with an excipient....
, which is the substance of the tablet, or the liquid the API is suspended in, or other material that is pharmaceutically inert
Inert

In English, to be inert is to be in a state of doing little or nothing....
. Drugs are chosen primarily for their active ingredients.

AI in herbal medicine


In phytopharmaceutical or herbal medicine the active ingredient may be either unknown or may require cofactors in order to achieve therapeutic goals. This leads to obvious complications in labeling. One way manufacturers have attempted to indicate strength is to engage in standardization
Standardization

Standardization is the process of developing and agreeing upon Standard . A standard is a document that establishes uniform engineering or technical specifications, criteria, methods, processes, or practices....
 to a marker
Marker

Marker may refer to:* Marker , a television film starring Link Baker and Sonja Bennett* Marker , an Action movie with Steven Seagal* Marker , a company specializing in bindings...
 compound. However standardization has not been standardized yet: different companies use different markers, or different levels of the same markers, or different methods of testing for marker compounds. For instance St. Johnswort is often standardized to the hypericin
Hypericin

Hypericin is a red-coloured anthraquinone-derivative, which is together with Hyperforin one of the principal active constituents of Hypericum . Hypericin is believed to act as an antibiotic and non-specific kinase Enzyme inhibitor....
 which is now known not to be the "active ingredient" for antidepressant use. Other companies standardize to hyperforin
Hyperforin

Hyperforin is one of the principal constituents identified in St John's wort....
 or both, although there may be some 24 known possible active constituents. Many herbalists believe that the active ingredient in a plant is the plant itself.

See also

  • Pharmakos
    Pharmakos

    Pharmakos in Ancient Greek religion was a kind of human scapegoat who was chosen and expelled from the community at times of disaster or at times of calendrical crisis, when purification was needed....
  • Medication
    Medication

    A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine or medicament, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease....
  • Counterfeit drug
    Counterfeit drug

    A counterfeit drug or a counterfeit medicine is a medication or pharmaceutical product which is produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity or effectiveness....
  • Regulation of therapeutic goods
    Regulation of therapeutic goods

    The regulation of therapeutic goods, that is drugs and therapeutic devices, varies by jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the United States, they are regulated at the national level by a single agency....
  • Standardization
    Standardization

    Standardization is the process of developing and agreeing upon Standard . A standard is a document that establishes uniform engineering or technical specifications, criteria, methods, processes, or practices....
  • Herbal medicine