Comparative Bioavailability of Fresh Versus Dried Botanical Compounds: A Review and Cost-Effectiveness Modelling Framework
Abstract
The therapeutic value of botanical preparations depends not only on their constituent compounds but on the bioavailability of those constituents, which processing methods such as drying may alter, with consequences for both efficacy and the cost of achieving a therapeutic effect. This article reviews the published evidence on how processing form shapes the content and bioavailability of botanical compounds and develops a cost-effectiveness modelling framework that links those differences to affordable therapeutics. Synthesizing work from pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, and Pharmacoeconomics, the review summarizes reported effects of drying and related processing on marker-compound concentration and on the accessibility of active constituents. It then proposes a structured model that translates bioavailability differences between fresh and dried forms into an estimated cost per effective dose, defining the model parameters, including compound yield, bioavailability adjustment, preparation and storage cost, and dosing requirement, and the assumptions under which fresh or dried preparations become more cost-effective. Rather than presenting original analytical results, the article contributes a methodological framework for reasoning about processing form as a determinant of both therapeutic yield and affordability. Worked illustrations show how the model informs selection, preparation, and procurement decisions where cost and access are constraints, and the article concludes with priorities for empirical parameterization.
Keywords
botanical compounds; bioavailability; drying; phytochemicals; cost-effectiveness; Pharmacoeconomics; affordable therapeutics; processing.
References
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