Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND CHROMATOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF DASHAMOOLA RASAYANA: A PRELIMINARY ANALYTICAL STUDY

Dr. Raghavendra Y.*, Prof. (Dr.) Remani K. K.

Abstract

Background: Dashamoola Rasayana is a classical Ayurvedic polyherbal Avaleha described for respiratory and Vata-Kapha predominant disorders. Analytical characterization is important for documenting the quality and consistency of the formulation used in clinical research. Objective: To document the organoleptic, physicochemical, chromatographic, microbiological and preliminary phytochemical profile of Dashamoola Rasayana. Methods: A prepared batch of Dashamoola Rasayana was evaluated at the Drug Testing Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Education Society’s Ayurvedic Medical College, Hospital & PG Research Centre, Gadag. The assessment included organoleptic examination, loss on drying, ash values, pH, total fat, total sugar, reducing sugar, thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) examination, microbiological testing and preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening. Results: The formulation was black, semisolid and mildly aromatic. Loss on drying was 4.8%, total ash 1.5%, acid-insoluble ash 0.5%, pH of the 1% solution 5.1%, total fat 0.4%, total sugar 85.446% and reducing sugar 80.483%. TLC showed no distinct spot under visible light, one spot at Rf 0.11 at 254 nm, and spots at Rf 0.11 and 0.28 at 366 nm. The total bacterial count was 7.08 CFU/mL and the fungal count was 0 CFU/mL. Flavonoids, tannins, steroids, starch, proteins and amino acids, phenolic compounds, carbohydrates and terpenoids were present, while alkaloids and saponins were absent. Conclusion: The findings provide a preliminary quality-control and phytochemical profile of the tested Dashamoola Rasayana batch. The chromatographic profile may serve as a reference fingerprint for subsequent batch comparison. The phytochemical findings are qualitative and should not be interpreted as direct evidence of clinical efficacy.

Keywords: Dashamoola Rasayana; Avaleha; Phytochemical Screening; TLC; Chromatographic Fingerprint.