Article: INVESTIGATING AUTHENTICITY, QUALITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF TRIMADA CHURNA: AN HPTLC-BASED APPROACH

Article Category: Original Research articles

DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.16251

Pages: 96-104

Author: Bhargav Kotak, Mehul Mehta *, Griva Bhatt, Sushant Sud, Saurabh Singh

Abstract: Trimada churna is one of the widely prescribed churna stated Charaka Samhita and Bhaishajya Ratnavali, used in various kinds of gut dilemmas which are achieved by the powerful digestive and stimulant properties of Chitraka, whereas the other ingredients concurrently exhibit their particular medicinal effects. This study aimed to establish analytical parameters and perform HPTLC fingerprinting of Trimada churna. This involved comparing the analytical data with another sample of Trimada churna prepared from commercially available ingredients, specifically Vidanga, Mustaka, and Chitraka. Additionally, the study focused on quantifying Embelin from Vidanga and Plumbagin from Chitraka. Qualitative tests showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids and phenols. All two samples showed significantly fewer variations in physicochemical parameters, but the acid-insoluble ash content of market-sampled Chitraka was found to be slightly higher (1.9% w/w) compared to both the original sample (0.3% w/w) and the values recorded in standard books. The HPTLC analysis revealed the absence of the chief secondary metabolite, plumbagin, in Chitraka's market sample.

Keyword: Trimada churna, HPTLC, Physico-chemical parameters, Standardization, Embelin, Plumbagin.