Standardization the Crude Extracts of all Urtica plant Species Growing in Palestine for Quality Control of Cosmeceutical and Pharmaceutical Formulations

Background: The safety and the therapeutic efficacy of plants medications are mainly dependent on the quality controls and standards by which they are made for, to give powerful actions when prescribing them. Medicinal plants and their extracts have been used as sources of medicine, cosmetics and food in virtually all nations and cultures and the usage of plants as a source of cosmetics and medications among different population seems to never stop, even with the recent chemical synthetic medicines revolution. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the standard of crude extracts yields of the active constituents for all species of Urtica plants leaves (Urtica kioviensis Rogow., Urtica membranacea Poir. ex Savigny, Urtica pilulifera L. and Urtica urens L.) growing wildly in Palestine and used for treatment of various diseases as well as used in cosmetics and food. Method: Serial exhaustive extraction method using polar and nonpolar solvents for four species of Urtica leaves without boiling to avoid the hydrolysis of the active phytochemical compound. Results: The best percentage of the aqueous extract yield was for Urtica kioviensis 609mg (24.36% of the total starting powder weight), while the best organic extract yield was also for Urtica kioviensis 72mg (2.88% of the total starting powder weight). Conclusion: Urtica kioviensis, Urtica pilulifera, Urtica urens aqueous serial exhaustive extraction yield and Urtica kioviensis organic exhaustive extraction yield can pass the quality control for manufacturing of cosmetics formulations and pharmaceutical preparations.