Evaluation of Phamacognostic and Physicochemical Parameters of Trikatu churna - an Ayurvedic Classical Drug

 

A K Meena^1*, A K Mangal^1†, G V Simha¹, MM Rao¹, P Panda¹, Harjit Singh¹, M M Padhi²

and Ramesh Babu²

¹National Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Research, Patiala-147001, Punjab.

²Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Janakpuri, Delhi-110058.India.

Corresponding author: ajaysheera@gmail.com

 

ABSTRACT:

Standardization of herbal formulations is essential in order to assess the quality, purity, safety and efficacy of drugs based on the amounts of their active principles. The aim of the present work is to standardization of Trikatu churna. The churna makes this traditional drug more stable for long term storage and hence, easier to prepare. The Trikatu churna is a reputed drug mentioned in the ancient books of Ayurveda  used for the treatment of fever, asthma, cold and cough, diabetes, nasal diseases, obesity, anorexia, digestive, respiratory system and normal urinary tract function.

Trikatu churna was prepared as per Ayurvedic Formulary of India and attempts to evaluate the Organoleptic characters, phytochemical study, phamacognostic study and physicochemical parameters like pH, Loss on drying at 105°C, Water soluble extract, Alcohol soluble extract, Total Ash, Acid insoluble ash. The study revealed specific identities for crude drug taken which will be useful in identification and control to adulterations of the drugs.

 

 

 

1. INTRODUCTION:

India having a rich heritage of traditional medicine constituting with its different components like Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) medicine system. Botanical constituent are major part of these traditional medicines. The development of these traditional systems of medicines with the perspectives of safety, efficacy, and quality will helps not only to preserve the traditional heritage but also to rationalize the use of natural products in healthcare.^1,2

 

India can emerge as the major country and play the lead role in production of standardized, therapeutically effective ayurvedic formulations. India needs to explore the medicinally important plants. This can be achieved only if the herbal products are evaluated and analyzed using sophisticated modern techniques of standardization.

 

The ayurvedic system of medicine has described various herbal formulations in the treatment of diseases, which play an important role in modern health care and curing various ailments and diseases. ^3-4 The uses of herbal medicines are increasing as dietary supplements to fight or prevent common diseases.⁵

 

It has great demand for primary health care because plant based medicines, health products, pharmaceuticals, food supplement, cosmetics etc. are thought to be non‐toxic, have less side effects, it is easily available and affordable.^6,7

 

Trikatu churna is one of the traditional polyherbal preparation, the word Trikatu itself means “three pungents” made up of combination of three spicy materials, such as Maricha (Piper nigrum Linn.), Pippali (Piper longum Linn.) and Sunthi (Zingiber officinale Rosc). These plant materials are also used worldwide as spices.^8,9 They are also used as important ingredients in ASU drugs and folklore medicine. The consumption of Trikatu churna exert several health beneficial effects by the virtue of their innumerable therapeutic potentials, such as fever, asthma, cold and cough, diabetes, nasal diseases, obesity, anorexia, digestive, salipada, carminative, Skin disorders, abdominal distention, anti-flatulent, respiratory system and normal urinary tract function and is also effective in dyspepsia.^10-13 It helps in the improvement of gastric function.  The ingredients Pippali and Marica contain an alkaloid piperine as chief constituent.¹⁴ Piper longum Linn contain piperine, piper longamine, volatile oil, resin, gums and fatty oil. The fruits of Piper longum Linn are useful in spleen disorders, bronchitis tuberculosis and jaundices.¹⁵ Since the Piperine forms the major constitute of two out of three ingredients of Trikatu churna.

This study reports on the standardization of Trikatu churna based on powder drug analysis, organoleptic evaluation, preliminary phytochemical study and physicochemical studies like Total ash, acid insoluble ash, loss on drying at 105°C, extractive values were carried out as per the API, WHO and AOAC guidelines.^5,16,17

 

2.      MATERIAL AND METHODS

2.1 Plant material

Trikatu churna is one of the ayurvedic polyherbal preparations, made up of combination of three important spicy materials, such as Piper nigrum Linn, Piper longum Linn. and Zingiber officinale Rosc. All these ingredients were procured from the local market of Patiala, Punjab, India and Specimen was identified and authenticated by the phamacognontist at the National Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Research, CCRAS, Patiala, Punjab (India).

 

2.2 Preparation of Trikatu churna:¹⁸

The churna was prepared as per the procedure given in Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 7:14. All the ingredients were powdered separately, passed through 85 # sieve and then mixed together in equal proportions to get uniformly blended churna in mass mixture (Table 1.).

 

 

Table 1. Ingredients of Trikatu churna

S. No	Sanskrit name	Botanical name	Part used	Quantity
1.	Marica	Piper nigrum Linn.	Fruit	1 Part
2.	Pippali	Piper longum Linn.	Fruit	1 Part
3.	Sunthi	Zingiber officials Rosc.	Rhizome	1 Part

 

3.      RESULT AND DISCUSSION:

3.1.  Powder drug analysis of Trikatu churna:

About few mg of Trikatu churna powder warmed with chloral hydrtae, washed and mounted in 50 percent glycerine; few mg of Trikatu churna powder washed thoroughly with water and mounted in 50 percent glycerine and few mg of Trikatu churna powder treated with iodine solution and mounted in 50 percent glycerine.  Microscopically, thick walled Cork cells are irregularly arranged, ovoid starch grains with hilum, long fibers,  reticulated vessels (Zingiber officinale Rose) Fig. 1(1-4); non glandular trichomes, Radially elongated stone cells, pitted tracheids (Piper nigrum Linn.) Fig. 1(5-7); dark brown stone cells, simple starch grains (Piper longum Linn) Fig. 1(8-9); characters were observed in different mounts of Trikatu churna.^19-24

 

Figure 1.  Powder Drug analysis of Trikatu churna

1. Cork cells x 216; 2. Starch grains x 440; 3. Fibres x 440; 4. Reticulated Vessels x 440 (Zingiber officinale Rose); 5. Tracheids x 440; 6. Trichomes non glandular x 440; 7. Stone cells x 864 (Piper nigrum L.); 8. Stone cells x 864; 9. Starch grains x 440 (Piper longum L.).

 

3.2.  Organoleptic evaluation:²⁵

Organoleptic evaluation refers to evaluate that the formulations were light grey in color, with pleasant odor and pungent taste (Table 2).

 

Table 2.  Organoleptic charecteristics of Trikatu churna

S. No
1.	Description	Moderately fine power
2.	Color	Light grey
3.	Taste	Pleasant
4.	Odor	Pungent

 

3.3.  Preliminary phytochemical study:²⁶

Preliminary phytochemical screening results showed the presence or absence of certain phytochemical constituents in Trikatu churna and its ingredients. The extracts showed the presence of steroid, alkaloid, flavonoid, tannin, saponins, lignans and did not answer for tannin, saponins in Piper longum Linn. and steroids in Piper nigrum Linn. (Table 3).

 

 

Table 3. Preliminary phytochemical (primary and secondary motabolites) tests  of Trikatu churna and its ingredients.

S. No	Tests	Piper nigrum Linn.	Piper longum Linn.	Zingiber officials Rosc.	Trikatu churna
1.	Alkaloids	Positive	Positive	Positive	Positive
2.	Steroids	Negative	Positive	Positive	Positive
3.	Flavonoids	Positive	Positive	Positive	Positive
4.	Saponins	Positive	Negative	Positive	Positive
5.	Tannins	Positive	Negative	Positive	Positive
6.	Lignans	Positive	Positive	Positive	Positive

 

Table 4. Physico-chemical parameters of Trikatu churna and its ingredients

S. No.	Parameters	Piper nigrum Linn.	Piper longum Linn.	Zingiber officials Rosc.	Trikatu churna
1.	pH (5 % w/v aqueous solution)	6.22	5.9	5.4	5.94
2.	Ash value (% w/w)	4.84	4.2	5.11	1.76
3.	Acid-insoluble ash (% w/w)	0.47	0.29	0.54	0.29
4.	Water-soluble extractive (% w/w)	8.49	6.86	4.13	6.58
5.	Alcohol soluble extractive (% w/w)	7.76	7.82	14.82	3.95
6.	Loss on drying at 105°C (% w/w)	17.56	17.47	13.6	17.61

 

 

3.4.  Physio-chemical study:

Physio-chemical parameters of the Trikatu churna and its ingredients are tabulated in Table 4. The pH value of Trikatu churna was acidic. Deterioration time of the churna depends upon the amount of water present in plant material/ churna. If the water content is high, the plant material can be easily deteriorated due to fungus. The loss on drying at 105°C in Trikatu churna was found to be 17.61%. Total ash involves an oxidation of the components of the products. A high ash value is indicative of contamination, substitution, adulteration or carelessness in preparing the formulations for marketing. Total ash value of plant material/ churna also indicated the amount of minerals and earthy materials attached to the plant material/ churna. Analytical results showed total ash value content was 1.76%. The negligible amount of acid-insoluble ash is siliceous matter present in the Trikatu churna sample was 0.29%. The water-soluble extractive value was indicating the presence of sugar, acids and inorganic compounds, the water soluble extractive value in the Trikatu churna sample was 6.58%. The alcohol soluble extractive value in Trikatu churna was 3.95%, it is indicated the presence of polar constituents like phenols, alkaloids, steroids, glycosides, flavonoids in churna.^5,8,16,17

 

4.      CONCLUSION:

Ayurvedic medicine Trikatu churna has been standardized by intervention of modern scientific quality control parameters in the traditional ayurvedic preparation described in classical texts. The individual ingredients of the formulation were authenticated and standardized. The ingredients and Trikatu churna were standardised as per WHO guidelines and ayurvedic pharmacopoeia of India. Morphology as well as various phamacognostic aspects of the sample was studied along with phytochemical, organoleptic and physio-chemical studies. Trikatu churna exhibits a set of diagnostic characters, which may help in identifying the drug and its ingredient in dried condition.

 

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The authors are very grateful to Programme Officers, CCRAS, New Delhi for providing encouragement and facilities for carrying out this work.

 

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Received on 10.09.2011          Modified on 26.09.2011

Accepted on 05.10.2011         © RJPT All right reserved