Abstract
Swarna Makshika(SM) is a brassy golden yellowish mineral with chemical composition of CuFeS2 (chalcopyrite). This deals with the mineralogical characterization of SM following the standards of classical as well as contemporary references. SM is widely used in therapeutics, in the form of Bhamsa to treat diseases such as Kasa (cough), Kushta (disease of skin), Pandu (anaemia), Prameha(diabetes), Jeernajwara (chronic fever), Rajyakshama (tuberculosis), Arsa (haemorraids) and various other diseases. It is thus necessary to validate and establish those properties on the basis of contemporary knowledge for the selection of genuine sample because raw drug standardization plays a vital role in assessing final drug for better therapeutic effects. For this study, the sample of SM was collected from Ayurvedic pharmacy, Banaras Hindu University and authenticated by the subject expert. The identification, physical verification, physical properties and mineralogical description of SM were conducted as mentioned in the Ayurvedic classic texts, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoea of India and Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) study. The results showed that SM is chalcopyrite (Copper and Iron disulphide) with metallic luster, brassy golden yellow, resembles a tetrahedron crystal habit, brittle tenacity and conchoidal fracture. All these physical properties of mineral chalcopyrite are very well match with the acceptable characteristics of SM as described in Ayurvedic classics.
Highlights
Standardisation is the burning topic in Ayurvedic drug industry today
Metals play an important role in human body, the deficiency of which leads to various disorders
The present study was aimed to focus the mineralogical characterization of mineral SM according to Grahya Lakshana as explained in Ayurvedic classics as well as the mineralogical standards as mentioned in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoea of India
Summary
Standardisation is the burning topic in Ayurvedic drug industry today. It is a measurement for ensuring the quality and is used to describe all the measures which are taken during manufacturing process and quality control leading to a reproducible quality. Metals play an important role in human body, the deficiency of which leads to various disorders. Genuine metallic drugs play an important role in curing various diseases. The Ayurvedic metallic formulation are the products of inorganic compounds of certain metals and minerals in a very fine powdered form. In the process of Bhasma preparation the metals/minerals gets converted into desired formulations which eliminates the toxicity of the metal and has the necessary medicinal activities [1].
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