APPLICATION AND EVALUATION OF MULTIPLE EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES (BIOPHARMACEUTICAL RECYCLING) FOR OPTIMIZATION OF KHADIRA KWATHA; AN AYURVEDIC FORMULATION

Abstract

In Ayurvedic pharmaceutics and therapeutics, heartwood of several precious plants is used. Increasing global demands of the Ayurvedic formulations containing heartwood may lead to damage or destroy the plants. With aim to develop some alternative pharmaceutical methods, repeated extraction process was applied on Acacia catechu heartwood. Coarse powder of Acacia catechu heartwood (group A), dry residue after its first decoction (group B) and dry residue after second decoction (group C) were analysed by pharmacognostical and physicochemical tests including pH, loss on drying, ash value, acid insoluble ash, water soluble extractive, methanol soluble extractive and tannin content, qualitative, colorimetric and HPTLC analysis. Pharmacognostic characteristic like oil globules, crystalline fibres, fibres passing through medullary rays, simple fibres, calcium oxalate crystals, Group of pitted scleroids, border pitted vessels, starch grains, prismatic crystals, yellowish or brown contents, lignified fibres etc were found in all the three samples; but the intensity of the characters was found decreasing respectively. In physicochemical tests except Tannin and Loss on drying, more than 75% and 65% extraction values were unchanged in group B and C respectively with compare to group A. Tannin and Protein were absent in group C, while alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, carbohydrates were present even after extraction for third time. Residue of drug after preparation of decoction for two times may be considered for reutilization and should be studied for pharmacological activities.