Abstract:
Amurthashtaka kwatha, is an Ayurvedic polyherbal formulation used in the treatment of
fever associated with inflammation. It is made up of eight plants including the bark of
Azadirachta indica, seeds of Holarrhena antidysenterica, heart wood of Santalum album,
stem of Tinospora cordifolia, whole plant of Trichosanthes cucumerina and rhizomes of
Zingiber officinale, Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora and Cyperus rotundus. This study is
aimed in evaluation of physicochemical properties and phytochemistry of individual plant
constituents of Amurthashtaka kwatha to establish the standardization parameters of the
kwatha. Plant samples were obtained from three markets in western province, Sri Lanka
and evaluated as per standard protocols. Aqueous extracts of individual plants were
qualitatively evaluated for the presence of chemical constituents. Phenolics, flavonoids,
tannins and terpenoids were detected in all eight plants. Cardiac glycosides were only
detected in H. antidysenterica while carbohydrates and saponins were absent only in
S. album. Alkaloids were absent in A. indica and S. album. Steroids were absent in C.
rotundus, H. antidysenterica and S. album. Phytosterols were absent in H. antidysenterica
and Z. officinale, proteins were absent in A. indica, P. scrophulariiflora and S. album.
Dry powders of plant materials were used for physico-chemical assays. T.cucumerina
had the highest mean total ash (20.7 %) and water soluble ash (9.7 %) contents. C.
rotundus had the highest mean acid insoluble ash (9.8 %) content. P. scrophulariflora
had the highest mean water-soluble extractable matter (9.3 %) and the ethanol soluble
extractable matter (6.9 %). Z. Officinale had the highest mean moisture content (14.8 %).
Reported physicochemical and phytochemical data under the present study will help in
establishing the standardization parameters of the kwatha and the development of High performance Liquid Chromatography profiling will be recommended for future studies.
