School of Natural Product Studies, Jadavpur University

School of Natural Product Studies (SNPS), Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Law and Management, Jadavpur University is a dedicated academic and research hub focused on the scientific exploration, validation, and development of natural products, particularly those derived from India's vast biodiversity. The School integrates pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, analytical sciences, and regulatory perspectives to advance evidence-based herbal drug development.

A core strength of SNPS lies in biodiversity-driven lead discovery. Leveraging high-throughput screening approaches and advanced analytical platforms, including chromatography, counter-current chromatography, HPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS, and NMR, the School systematically screens plant extracts to identify bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential. Special emphasis is placed on the rich biodiversity of eastern and northeastern India, regions with immense but underexplored medicinal resources.

Quality control and standardisation form another major pillar of the School's work. Recognising the global expansion of herbal medicine use, SNPS develops robust methodologies to assess identity, purity, and content of medicinal plant materials. The School evaluates phytochemical, phytopharmacological, microbiological, and antiviral properties of herbal drugs, establishing biomarker-based quality parameters and fingerprinting profiles. It also formulates in-house standards for herbal formulations used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy, while analysing international regulatory frameworks to align quality benchmarks with global expectations.

Pharmacovigilance and safety assessment are integral to its mission. The School undertakes systematic efforts to collect, evaluate, and disseminate data on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with herbal formulations. Through toxicity studies, including acute, sub-acute, and chronic evaluations, it supports the reestablishment of clinical confidence in traditional dosage forms.

The broader objective of SNPS is to comprehensively explore natural products, combining biodiversity exploration with translational exploitation for validated drug development. Research spans phytochemical and phytopharmacological studies, herbal therapeutics and pharmacokinetics, value-added herbal drug delivery systems, cytochrome inhibition studies, nutrition sciences, and high-throughput lead identification. By integrating classical knowledge from ancient Indian treatises with modern scientific methodologies, the School advances natural product innovation grounded in quality, safety, and efficacy.

The School also plays a critical educational role, nurturing skilled natural product scientists and green herbalists who are grounded in scientific rigour and ecological awareness. Its postgraduate programs and collaborative research initiatives provide multidisciplinary training and foster partnerships with national and international institutions and pharmaceutical industries.

As a focal academic unit within Jadavpur University, the School of Natural Product Studies serves as a meeting ground for interdisciplinary dialogue, scientific excellence, and biodiversity conservation — an academic ecosystem that aligns seamlessly with the vision and scientific objectives of ISE-SFEC-2027.