Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Abstract

Helminth infections (Krimi Roga) are a serious health problem and Ayurveda has developed a number of Krimighna (anthelmintic) formulations for their management. The present study was undertaken to carry out comparative pharmaceutical and analytical evaluation of two dosage forms of a classical formulation of Krimighna called Krimighna Arka (KA) prepared by different methods as per Arka Prakasha i.e. by distillation (arka yanta ) as Krimighna Arka and by aqueous Soxhlet extraction followed by incorporation in a hydrophilic polymer base as Krimighna Suspension (KS). The organoleptic properties (colour, odour, taste), physicochemical properties (pH, specific gravity, total solids, alcohol content, refractive index) and phytochemical fingerprinting by High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) of both the preparations were compared. The results showed that Krimighna Arka had pale yellow colour and was clear while Krimighna Suspension was brownish and turbid. The Krimighna Arka had lower specific gravity and total solids content as compared to suspension. In case of phytochemical analysis, spots were visualized in both the preparations at 254 nm and 366 nm when observed under UV light. However, the chromatogram of Krimighna Arka was simpler as compared to the suspension which had spots at two Rf values (0.55 and 0.81) at 254 nm. Thus, it can be concluded that the physicochemical and phytochemical profiles of the two dosage forms of Krimighna Arka were different and the suspension showed a comparatively more complex chromatographic profile than arka which may help in comparative standardization of the formulations based on the method of preparation.

Keywords: <I>Krimighna Arka</I>, distillation, <I>Krimighna</I> Suspension, <I>Arka Prakasha, Arka Kalpana</I>, HPTLC, <I>Ayurveda</I>