Kalmegh Extract (Andrographis paniculata)

Kalmegh extract is made from the dried aerial parts of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees, an Acanthaceae annual native to the Indian subcontinent and known in trade as the King of Bitters. Thovek offers it standardised by HPLC at 10%, 20%, 30% and 50% andrographolides, with higher-purity andrographolide available on enquiry. One point decides the price: where a buyer specifies total andrographolides, the figure is the sum of andrographolide, 14-deoxyandrographolide and neoandrographolide, whereas a specification naming andrographolide alone counts only that peak. The two bases are not interchangeable and quotations state which one applies. Andrographolide is a labdane diterpene lactone, CAS 5508-58-7, molecular formula C20H30O5, molecular weight 350.45. USP lists both an Andrographolide Reference Standard and a Powdered Andrographis Extract Reference Standard, so the assay can be run against pharmacopoeial reference material instead of an in-house working standard - worth asking any supplier to confirm. Published survey work on commercial Andrographis products has found labelling inaccuracies and contamination, so identity here is established by macroscopy and HPTLC fingerprint alongside the assay, not by assay alone. Buyers positioning the ingredient in Europe should also note that the EMA's Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products closed its assessment of Andrographis paniculata leaf with a public statement and did not adopt an EU herbal monograph. Formulators should plan around the bitterness rather than discover it at pilot scale. Andrographolide is intensely bitter and only sparingly soluble in water, so the extract performs best in two-piece capsules, film-coated tablets and masked or encapsulated liquid systems, and poorly in open powders, chewables and unflavoured beverages. The material is vegan and vegetarian, plant-derived, non-GMO, and free from milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, peanut, tree nut and gluten-containing cereals. Export packing is 25 kg fibre drums with double food-grade liners, with 1 kg and 5 kg foil pouches for trials. Permitted use of Andrographis in food supplements varies between markets, and confirming status for the destination country remains the importer's responsibility.