Abstract:
‘Amurthashtaka kwatha’ is an Ayurvedic polyherbal formulation widely used to treat
fever associated with inflammation. It consists of eight ingredients, namely, the bark
of Azadirachta indica (Neem), seeds of Holarrhena antidysenterica (Coneru), the
heartwood of Santalum album (Sandalwood), stem of Tinospora cordifolia
(Guduchi), whole plant of Trichosanthes cucumerina (Wild gourd) and rhizome of
Cyperus rotundus (Nut grass), Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Kutki) and Zingiber
officinale (Ginger). The study is aimed at the quantitative determination of
phytochemicals of eight plant materials of ‘Amurthashtaka kwatha’. The plant
materials were purchased from three Ayurvedic medicine shops in Sri Lanka and
authenticated. Hot aqueous extracts were prepared according to Ayurvedic pharmacy.
One part of the raw drugs was boiled with eight parts of water, and the final solution
was reduced up to one-eighth. Total phenolic contents were determined by the Folin-
Ciocalteu method against the gallic acid standard, and total flavonoid content was
determined by aluminum chloride method against the quercetin standard. Alkaloids
and saponins were determined using crushed powders. The highest total phenolic
content was obtained in Santalum album (25.83 ± 0.43 mg gallic acid equivalents;
GAE)/ g) while the lowest value 3.44 ± 0.29 GAE)/ g was given by Picrorhiza
scrophulariiflora. The highest total flavonoid content was identified in Trichosanthes
cucumerina as 6.46 ± 0.18 (mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/ g) and the lowest value
was found in Zingiber officinale as 1.06 ± 0.28 (mg QE/ g). The highest percentages
of alkaloid and saponin contents were calculated as 11.84 ± 0.91% in Holarrhena
antidysenterica and 8.80 ± 0.20% in Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora respectively. The
lowest percentage of alkaloid and saponin contents were obtained as 1.48 ± 0.22%
and 1.21 ± 0.26% in Santalum album. The results show that ‘Amurthashtaka kwatha’
is a source of all the tested phytoconstituents which may be beneficial for its
pharmacological activities.