摘要篇首： In the Ayurvedic, Siddha and other medical systems of India, products derived from herbs,used either as active ingredients or as adjuvants,hold paramount importance as alternative medi-cines.However, their standardization poses a great challenge.Correct identification of these drugs is often problematic in both their complete form as well as in powder form, since these medicinal plants are known by a variety of vernacular names and frequently many medicinal plants share the same name.Comparative thin-layer chromatography (co-TLC) with chemical or biological marker compounds can be used to standardize raw materials.Moreover, due to its simplicity, accuracy, cost effectiveness and rapidity, TLC is often used as an alternative to other chromatographic tech-niques for quantifying plant products.