Drugs of Mineral Origin - Introduction

Drugs of Mineral Origin

INTRODUCTION

The substances of mineral origin have been used for various pharmaceutical purposes ranging from therapeutic agents to nutritional supplements to pharmaceutical excipient.

These inorganic substances are found as mineral deposits of different types such as terrestrial deposits or fossil deposition of geological origin in ocean and seabeds. The natural ores or minerals are collected by mining in open quarries, and the product is further purified for various pharmaceutical uses. Some important natural drugs of mineral origin are given in Table below.

Table : Some important drugs of mineral origin