**3. Adulteration**

Adulteration is a practice of substituting original crude drug partially or wholly with other similar looking substances but later is either free from or inferior in chemical and therapeutic properties. In simple word, it is debasement of an article [1]. On the basis of motive; adulteration is intentional or direct and accidental or indirect adulteration. Direct or intentional adulteration is mainly done for commercial benefits [11]. Deterioration, Admixture, Sophistication, Substitution, Inferiority and Spoilage are methods of adulteration. Intentional impairment in the quality of drug is Deterioration. Addition or mixing one substance to another accidentally or carelessly or due to ignorance is Admixture. It is a type of unintentional adulteration. Sophistication is the intentional or deliberate type of adulteration in which some totally different substance is added in place of genuine drug while Inferiority refers to adding of any substandard drug, and Spoilage is due to the attack of microorganisms or parasitic infestation [1].

Deterioration, Admixture, Sophistication, Substitution, Inferiority and Spoilage are methods of adulteration. Intentional impairment in the quality of drug is Deterioration. Addition or mixing one substance to another accidentally or carelessly or due to ignorance is admixture.

It is a type of unintentional adulteration. Sophistication is the intentional or deliberate type of adulteration in which some totally different substance is added in place of genuine drug while Inferiority refers to adding of any substandard drug, and Spoilage is due to the attack of microorganisms or parasitic infestation [1].
