Abstract

PREPARATION OF SIDDHA HERBAL DISTILLATE FROM TRADITIONAL STILL AND GLASS STILL; A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Vinayak S.*, Gayatri R., S. Sivakumar, D. Aravind, D. Sivaraman, Anil Sundaresan and V. Banumathi

Abstract

Background: The quality or yield of a Theeneer (Herbal distillate) is mainly dependent on the nature of the raw drugs and the type of distillation apparatus used for extraction. Siddha classical texts describes so many traditional or modified varieties of stills for selective distillation. Aim and Objectives: This preliminary study is aimed to compare the quality differences of classical Siddha distillate Sanjeevi Theeneer prepared in both Traditional Still and Glass apparatus through GC-MS and to identify which make of distillate meets the standard traditional parameters as mentioned in the Siddha literature. Methods: The distillate is prepared in two different stills (Traditional apparatus -ST (t) and Glass made- ST (g)) for quality comparison and GC-MS studies. Results: There were considerable differences between the two samples in terms of traditional quality (Color, aroma & taste) and yield. ST (t) distillates meet the standards of parameters than ST (g). GCMS reported the presence of major compounds like Isothymol in both the samples with varying peak percentage. 6,7-Dimethyl-3,5,8,8a-tetrahydro-1H-2-benzopyran being the active compound of ST(g). Terpineol, beta terpineols and linoleic acid were the other active compounds of ST (t). Conclusion: In supportive with the study and analysis we conclude that distillates prepared from Traditional stills are far better in quality, therapeutically potent than those prepared from glass stills.

Keywords: Siddha medicine, Theeneer, Sanjeevi Theeneer, Traditional quality parameters, GCMS.