Pharmacognostical and Pharmaceutical Evaluation of Manjishthadi Ghanavati: an Ayurvedic Herbomineral Formulation

In the era of increasing demand for indigenous medicines, maintaining quality standards is the need of the hour. Standardisation of compound formulations is lagging behind because of absence of reference standards. Manjishthadi Ghanavati is an important Ayurvedic formulation containing Manjishtha (Rubia cordifolia Linn.), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Retz.), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellerica Roxb.), Katuki (Picrohriza kurroa Royle. ex Benth), Vacha (Acorus calamus Linn.), Daruharidra (Barberis aristata DC) Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia Willd.) and Nimba (Azadirechta indica A Juss.). All the constituents are available and prepared according to the reference present in Sharangadhara Samhita Madhyama Khanda Chapter 2/136. Hence the present study was undertaken to standardize the compound Ayurvedic formulation through Pharmacognostical and pharmaceutical evaluation. The sample was subjected for various phytochemical parameters like water soluble extractive (49.72%w/w), alcohol soluble extractive (41.28 % w/w), ash value (10 % w/w), loss on drying (10.85 % w/w), the pH (6.0), Hardness(4 kg/cm2) and Disintegration time (32 min.). The HPTLC, solvent system was Toluene: ethyl acetate (9:1), showed the presence of 7 spots at 254nm and 2 spots at 366nm. Thus, the physiochemical and microscopic characters achieved may provide guidelines for standardization of formulation Manjishthadi Ghanavati.