Standardization and evaluation of marketed Kumari Asava of Baidyanath

Abstract

Objective: Ayurveda comprise of various type of medicines including the fermented forms. Asavas (fermented infusions) are regarded as valuable therapeutics due to their efficacy and desirable features. Additional benefits are expected, e.g. it provides nourishment to the body. Useful in weight gain treatment, improve taste, useful in anorexia, useful in reliving abdominal pain due to gastritis and digestive tract disorder, ascites, constipation, tuberculosis, urinary tract disorders, diabetes, epilepsy treatment difficulty in urination, use to improve memory, useful in improving quality of semen and sperm, urinary calculi, intestinal worm infestation and bleeding disorders. Standardization of herbal formulation is essential in order to assess the quality, purity, safety and efficacy of the drug.

Methods: The present study deals with the standardization of this formulation by using the parameters like organoleptic characters, physical properties and various physico-chemical properties such as total solid, reducing sugar, non reducing sugar, surface tension, specific gravity, viscosity, boiling point, solubility test, UV examination for absorbance of sample drug, colorimetric analysis, acid value, pH determination and heavy metal content study carried out to ascertain the quality, purity and safety of this herbal formulation.

Results: The formulation of Kumari Asava contains all good characters of an ideal Asava and it was found to be harmless, more effective and economic. The marketed samples have been standardize and evaluated on the basis of the above mentioned parameters which show satisfactory results, but the efficacy of the products can only be judged by doing the pharmacological & clinical methods, which is suggested as future scope of R&D.

Conclusion: The study shows that the contents of formulation presents within the permissible limits as per WHO. The study could be helpful in authentification of Kumari Asava. The result of present study will also serve as reference monograph in the preparation of Asavas.