Bhallatakadi Ghrita: Development and evaluation with reference to Murcchana and Shata-Dhauta process

Ethnomedicinal Knowledge and Traditional Methodology for the Preparation of Fermented Butter "Smen" Among the Rural People of Northern Morocco: A Field Study

Several rural Moroccan people depend on natural remedies such as Smen (ghee) before visiting a health center due to their low cost and accessibility. However, knowledge of Smen traditional medicine is not documented but rather transferred orally from generation to generation. This is the first qualitative ethnomedicinal study that provides and documents information about the medicinal use of Smen in Northern Morocco. The present study aimed to investigate and gather information on the traditional medicinal practices of using Smen among rural people in Northern Morocco for a document and suggest the exploration of this product and its bioactive compounds in medical applications. The investigation was carried out by conducting individual semistructured interviews with 630 elderly people from March to April 2022. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and expressed as a percentage of responses to each question in the survey. The study revealed that 66.5% of the people surveyed were aware of the medical benefits of Smen, which had been passed down from their ancestors. It has been used to treat hemorrhoids, common colds, detoxification, rheumatism, and wound/burn injuries. This study showed that Moroccan's ethnomedicinal knowledge is closely related to Ayurveda, ancient Indian traditional medicine. For centuries, Smen has been used traditionally for medical purposes, just as it has been used in cooking. The diversity of ghee medicinal use in Northern Morocco could contribute to the discovery and development of ghee-based drugs, which have fewer side effects.

Product development and characterization of a lipid-based Ayurvedic polyherbal formulation: Kalyanaka Ghrita

BACKGROUND

Kalyanaka Ghrita (KG) is polyherbal oleaginous medicament consisting of extracts from twenty-eight different plants, indicated for management of psychosomatic disorders like Unmada (Schizophrenia), Apasmara (Epilepsy) and numerous other ailments.

OBJECTIVE

To develop and validate standard manufacturing procedure of KG by following Ayurvedic principles in three batches to ensure process uniformity and standards.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three batches of KG were prepared by adopting principles of Ashtanga Hrudya and Ayurvedic Formulary of India to ensure consistency in manufacturing process. Observations during process such as temperature, duration were recorded. KG was subjected to chief desired characteristics, organoleptic (color, odour, taste, texture, touch), physicochemical (acid value, peroxide value, iodine value, saponification value, loss on drying, refractive index, specific gravity, mineral oil, rancidity test, viscosity) as per pharmacopeial standard. Chromatographic screening and fingerprinting of KG were conducted through GCMS whereas quantification of curcumin and chebulagic acid biomarkers were assessed through HPLC.

RESULTS

Average yield of KG was 83.41%, with average intermittent heating duration of 20.35 h subsequently divided into three days. Temperature throughout preparation ranged from 66 °C to 101 °C. KG was pale olive in colour, exhibiting pleasant taste, characteristic smell, and soft texture. Organoleptic and physicochemical characters were comparable for three batches of KG while safety parameters were found within permissible limits.

CONCLUSION

Pharmaceutical standardization of Kalyanaka Ghrita is necessary for establishing biological and chemical profile of formulations. Present study recommends use of coarse powdered ingredients for optimal yield during pharmaceutical process, and heating up to Madhyama Paka stage calibrated over three days with average temperature of 85 °C. The data obtained from this study may contribute to future research and development activities, serving as a basis for manufacturing standards of KG.

Ethnological validation of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L. Dunal) ghrita as 'Vajikarana Rasayana': In-silico, in-vitro and in-vivoapproach

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Processing cow ghee (clarified butterfat) with therapeutic herbs, i.e. ghrita, is recognized for augmenting the therapeutic efficacy of plant materials. Ashwagandha ghrita (AG) is an effective Ayurvedic formulation consisting of Indian ginseng, i.e., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, the main constituent used to treat infertility, weakness, gynaecological disorders, and general debility.

OBJECTIVES

The present investigation was undertaken to corroborate the ethnopharmacological claim of AG as 'Vajikarana Rasayana' for its aphrodisiac potential using bioinformatics (in-silico) and experimental (in-vitro and in-vivo) approaches.

METHODS

AG was formulated as per the methods reported in Ayurved sarsangraha. AG was further subjected to HPLC, GCMS analysis, and biological (acute toxicity and aphrodisiac) assessment per the standard procedures. Thirty-eight bioactives of Indian ginseng were subjected to computational studies (molecular docking and network pharmacology) to confirm the plausible mechanism.

RESULTS

AG was found to be safe up to 2000 mg/kg body wt., and it showed dose-dependent upsurge (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, wherever necessary) in mount and intromission frequency, genital grooming, and anogenital sniffing at 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight suggesting aphrodisiac activity. In-vitro studies demonstrated significant relaxation of the Corpus Cavernosal Smooth Muscle at all concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the results of molecular modelling studies were in agreement with the biological activity and showed interaction with phosphodiesterase-5 as a possible target.

CONCLUSION

AG exhibited an aphrodisiac effect and substantiated the traditional claim of Indian ginseng-based ghrita formulation as 'Vajikarana Rasayana'.

Panchgavya: A precious gift to humankind

Panchgavya represents milk, urine, dung, ghee, and curd, derived from cow and serves irreplaceable medicinal importance in Ayurveda and traditional Indian clinical practices. In Ayurveda,Panchgavya treatment is termed as 'Cowpathy'. In India, the cow is worshipped as a god called 'Gaumata,' indicating its nourishing nature like a mother. Ayurveda recommends Panchagavya to treat diseases of multiple systems, including severe conditions, with almost no side-effects. It can help build a healthy population, alternative sources of energy, complete nutritional requirements, eradicate poverty, pollution-free environment, organic farming, etc. Panchgavya can also give back to mother nature by promoting soil fertility, earthworm production, protecting crops from bacterial and fungal infections, etc. Scientific efforts shall be taken to build evidence for the clinical application of Cowpathy. The present review aims to summarize the health and medicinal benefits of Panchgavya.

Effect of "Murcchana samskara" on therapeutic efficacy of BhallatakadiGhrita

'Bhallatakadi Ghrita' (BG), comprising the plant extracts of Semecarpus anacardium L., Argemone mexicana L., Cocculus hirsutus L., and Woodfordia fruticosa K. 'Murcchana samskara' of ghee before any 'ghrita-paka' preparation evidenced the maximum acceptability for topical application. The current study dealt with the effect of the 'Murcchana' process on the therapeutic efficacy of BG. In the first step, 'Murcchita' ghee was prepared as per reference texts and then developed the 'Murcchita Bhallatakadi Ghrita' (M-BG), which was further assessed for wound healing activity using incision and excision wound animal models. 'Murcchanasamskara' altered the wound healing ability of M-BG (100% wound contraction on 15th post wounding day with 13.50 ± 0.22 days complete re-epithelization time and 562.33 ± 7.37 g breaking strength). The presence of antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids, and fatty acids (known for their potential wound healing properties) in M-BG could accelerate the wound contraction rate (P < 0.001). The present investigation has corroborated the Ayurvedic/traditional attribute of 'Murcchanasamskara' to augment the medicinal properties of the BG.

Development and Validation of Chromatographic Method for the Standardization of Homeopathic Formulation of Syzygium Cumini

BACKGROUND

 Syzygium cumini (Lam.), family Myrtaceae, has a long history of use in folk and traditional systems of indigenous medicine. Many homeopathic formulations of Jamun seeds are available in the market for their crucial usage as an anti-diabetic. Despite the popularity of homeopathic products, a lack of standard quality is a significant impediment in their acceptance. The present study aimed to develop and validate a chromatographic method for the standardization of the homeopathic formulation of Syzygium cumini.

METHODS

 The seeds of Syzygium cumini were studied for physicochemical evaluation and preliminary phytochemical screening. Also, the in-house standard and marketed homeopathic formulations of Syzigium cumini were standardized for pH, total fatty content, total phenolic and flavonoid content, with quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography- photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) analysis by using ellagic acid as a marker.

RESULTS

 The physicochemical characteristics of crude material were found to be within pharmacopeial limits. The phytochemical screening showed the presence of various secondary metabolites. The total phenolic and flavonoid content was higher in the in-house standard than in marketed formulations. A validated quantitative HPLC-PDA analysis showed variations of ellagic acid content in different homeopathic formulations.

CONCLUSION

 Physicochemical analysis and the HPLC method for quantitative estimation of ellagic acid can be used to standardize a homeopathic formulation of Syzygium cumini.

Evaluation of wound healing potential of Bhallatakadi Ghrita - cow ghee based polyherbal formulation: in-vivo excision and incision wound model

OBJECTIVES

Ghee is widely considered as the Indian name for clarified butterfat and processing of ghee with therapeutic herbs i.e., ghrita is renowned for augmenting their medicinal properties. The wound is considered as a challenging clinical problem with early and late complications. To reduce the burden of wounds with the shortest period and minimum scaring, an attempt was made to prepare and evaluate the wound healing potential of ghee based polyherbal formulation.

METHODS

Based on local ethnic tribal claims, Semecarpus anacardium L., Argemone mexicana L., Cocculus hirsutus L., and Woodfordia fruticosa K. were collected from Western Ghats of India. The polyherbal Bhallatakadi Ghrita (BG) formulation was prepared as per Ayurvedic procedure and assessed for its wound healing potential using incision and excision wound animal models.

RESULTS

BG treated group showed a complete contraction of wounds (99.82 ± 0.10%) (p<0.001) with 15.17 ± 0.40 days re-epithelization time and breaking strength (531.50 ± 5.89) (p<0.05). The hydroxyproline content of BG was found to be significantly higher i.e., 4.23 ± 0.21 (p<0.05). Quantitative estimation of BG exhibited 54.7 ± 3.7 mg100 g^-1 of polyphenols and 42.3 ± 5.4 mg.100 g^-1 flavonoids in terms of gallic acid and quercetin respectively. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid and quercetin whereas the presence of fatty acids was confirmed by GC-MS analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

It may conclude that the presence of quercetin, gallic acid, and fatty acids could have accelerated the healing rate of the ghrita formulation, as they have already been known for their potential wound healing properties.

Development and evaluation of aphrodisiac potential of a classical ayurvedic formulation, 'Kaamdev ghrita' in rat model

BACKGROUND

Ghee is widely considered as the Indian name for clarified butterfat and processing of ghee with therapeutic herbs i.e. ghrita is renowned for augmenting their medicinal properties. Kaamdev ghrita (also known as 'VajikaranaRasayana') is cow ghee based classical Ayurvedic formulation from the aphrodisiac category, which is used to ameliorate and potentiate sexual performance and also in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions, infertility, and premature ejaculation.

OBJECTIVE

Present research work deals with the organoleptic, physicochemical, and biological assessment of Kaamdev ghrita for its aphrodisiac activity using in-vivo animal models.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Kaamdev ghrita was prepared using Indian cow's ghee as per standard Ayurvedic classical texts and subjected to organoleptic (color, odor, taste, texture, touch), physicochemical (acid value, peroxide value, iodine value, saponification value, unsaponifiable matter, extractive values, refractive index, and specific gravity) analyses as per the standard pharmacopeial procedures. The aphrodisiac potential of ghrita in rat model was evaluated by monitoring sexual behavioral performance using different parameters (mount frequency and latency, intromission frequency and latency, anogenital grooming and sniffing) at the dose of 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight.

RESULTS

The physicochemical evaluation of Kaamdev ghrita showed higher acid value, iodine value, refractive index, and specific gravity whereas the lower saponification and peroxide value than the plain ghee. Kaamdev ghrita revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, sterols, terpenoids, coumarins, tannins, and showed remarkable antioxidant activity by in-vitro assays. It augmented the sexual performance in a dose-dependent manner as indicated by significant improvement (P < 0.05) in mount frequency and latency, intromission frequency and latency, anogenital grooming, and sniffing as compared to plain ghee treated control group. The present investigation has corroborated the ethnopharmacological claim of Kaamdevghrita for its aphrodisiac potential.

CONCLUSION

Kaamdev ghrita exhibited aphrodisiac activity which may be attributed to the presence of antioxidant herbs present in it. It is the first scientific report on validation of the traditional claim of Kaamdev ghrita for its aphrodisiac potential.