Quality Standards for Caturjata Carna Evaluated with Official and Substitute Ingredients

Background: In Ayurveda, single or multiple herbs mixed in a particular proportion are used for the treatment of different diseases. Caturjata Curna (CC) is a popular Ayurvedic medicine with therapeutic application in tastelessness, diseases due to vitiated Kapha, poisoning and discoloration. The present study is an attempt to standardize a polyherbal medicine CC. Methods: CC was prepared by mixing an equal proportion of ingredients including Tvak (Cinnamomum verum) - stem bark, Ela (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) - seed, Tvakpatra (Cinnamomum tamala (Buch.-Ham.) T.Nees & Eberm.) - leaf and Nagakesara (Mesua ferrea L.) - stamen in equal parts as per guidelines in Ayurvedic Formulary of India. Macro-microscopy, physico-chemical parameters, HPTLC fingerprinting, and spectroscopic parameters were determined according to standardised methodology available in Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Results: Caturjata curna is brown coloured with a characteristic odour and aromatic taste. Powder microscopy showed the presence of diagnostic characters like horse shoe-shaped stone cells, perisperm cells with volatile oil droplets, paracytic stomata and endothecium layers of anthers indicating each ingredient of the formulation. HPTLC showed 13, 13 and 16 bands each under short UV, long UV and white light post derivatisation respectively in ethanolic extract of the formulation. Physico-chemical standards like loss on drying at 105º (10.39 %), total ash (4.1 %), acid-insoluble ash (0.90 %), ethanol- soluble extractive (10 %), water-soluble extractive (8.77 %) and pH of 10% aqueous solution (4.58) were recorded. The presence of cinnamaldehyde and 1-eicosene was confirmed by GC-MS and NMR studies. Conclusion: a monograph on quality standards for CC has been proposed which would serve as a document to control the quality of this polyherbal formulation.