Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYSIS OF KHADIRASHTAKA GHANAVATI- AN AYURVEDIC POLYHERBAL FORMULATION

Dr. Anagha Sivanandan*, Drashti Shah, Prof. L. P. Dei, C. R. Harisha and V. J. Shukla

Abstract

Khadirashtaka is a renowned formulation consisting of eight herbal drugs which had been mentioned in the context of treatment of skin disorders in various classical texts of Ayurveda like Yogaratnakara, Vangasena, Vrindamadhava, Chakradatta etc. Even though the combination had been suggested in the form of decoction in the classical texts, it is converted into the tablet (Ghanavati) form for addressing palatability issues and proper dose fixation. Methods: The finished product is subjected to microscopic evaluation, physicchemical analysis like hardness, weight variation, loss on drying, ash value, Ph value, water soluble extract, alcohol soluble extract, High Performance thin layer chromatography(HPTLC) etc. Results: Pharmacognostical study showed the presence of certain identifying characters of all of the eight ingredients in the formulation like cork cells of Khadira, Crystal fibers of Nimba, scleroids of Haritaki, Bibhitaki and Amalaki, pitted vessels of patola, starch cells of guduchi, multicellular trichome of vasa etc. Preliminary physico-chemical analysis showed that hardness 3.5 Kg/cm2, ash value 14.88%, loss on drying 12.95%, water soluble extract 35.15 and HPTLC showed two spots in 254nm and one spot in 366nm. Conclusion: Present work was carried out to standardize the finished product Khadirashtaka Ghanavati in terms of its identity, quality and purity. Pharmacognostical and Physico-chemical observations revealed the specific characters of all active constituents in the preparation.

Keywords: Khadirashtaka, Ghanavati, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutical, HPTLC.