ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Herbals drugs became a boon for mankind since ancient times and still are used worldwide for the treatment of various human ailments. The safety of alternative medicinal preparations has been questioned due to reports of unwanted side effects. To maintain the quality and efficacy of these drugs, it is essential to standardize them in order to avoid the use of substandard or adulterated medicines in the market. Unani system of medicine mainly focuses on the treatment by natural drugs. Habb-e-Banafsha Qawi is useful in a cough, catarrah, and coryza. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Physiochemical constants of Habb-e-Banafsha Qawi were determined through organoleptic characters, macro- and micro-scopic characters, ash value, solubility, pH values. Chromatographic fingerprints were developed using thin layer chromatography method. Aflatoxin (AF) contamination, heavy metal, and pesticide residues were also evaluated by standard methods. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop standard operating procedure and physiochemical parameters to monitor the quality of a Unani poly-herbal formulation, Habb-e-Banafsha Qawi. RESULTS: The tablets tasted sweetish bitter with a pleasant odor, water soluble and acidic in nature. R f values were almost same in all the extracts. No AF, heavy metal, and pesticide residues were observed. CONCLUSIONS: It may be concluded that the values and chromatographic fingerprints obtained can be used for quality evaluation and to set new pharmacopoeial standards for the preparation of Habb-e-Banafsha Qawi.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Azaraqi (Strychnos nux-vomica, Loganiaceae) has been the important Unani medicine since long time as a stimulant, anti-inflammatory, and blood purifier. It has been used very frequently by the Unani practitioner. But the Unani system recommends application of azaraqi in medicine only after its detoxification (tadbeer) may be because of the presence of its deadly poisonous alkaloids (strychnine and brucine). In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to quantify the actual content of their toxic alkaloids before and after the tadbeer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sensitive high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for estimation of strychnine and brucine in different samples of azaraqi before and after tadbeer. Precoated HPTLC silica gel plates were used as stationary phase and (toluene: Ethyl acetate: Dietylamine 7:2:1 v/v/v) was used as mobile phase. RESULT: The Rf value of strychnine and brucine was found as 0.53 and 0.41, respectively. Detection and quantification were performed by densitometry at 270 nm. The calibration plot was linear in the range of 50-1000 ng of strychnine and brucine, respectively, with the correlation coefficient (r (2)) 0.993 and 0.991 for strychnine and brucine, respectively, which confirms good linearity. The content of strychnine was 0.175, 0.07, 0.18, 0.051, and 0.075% w/w whereas brucine was 0.16, 0.117, 0.061, 0.045, and 0.057 in crude azaraqi, azaraqi without outer cover, azaraqi outer cover only, azaraqi mudabbar and azaraqi mudabbar by fried in ghee, respectively. CONCLUSION: The detoxification results in sharp decrease in content of toxic metabolites. The process by boiling in milk was found much effective but tedious as compare to frying method.
