Abstract:
The ‘Dasapanguwa’ herbal formulation which is commonly consumed as a
traditional medicine in Sri Lanka consists of ten ingredients, namely the rhizome of
Zingiber officinale (Ginger), the dried stem of Coscinium fenestratum (Tree
Turmeric) leaves, stems of Oldenlandia corymbosa (Pathpadagam), dried berries of
Solanum xanthocarpum (Katuwelbatu), dried leaves of Justicia adhatoda
(Pawatta/Adathoda), Piper nigrum L. (Black Pepper), the dried stem and roots of
Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice), dried seeds of Coriandrum sativum (Coriander),
Solanum melongena L. (Elabatu /Eggplant) and the rhizome of Alpinia calcarata
(Snap ginger). The objectives of this project were to identify the antibacterial and
antioxidant properties of the herbal components of dasapanguwa and their ability to
heal diseases. All ingredients have antioxidant components such as polyphenols, and
flavonoids which have been examined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-hydrate
radical scavenging ability. Antibacterial properties of Coscinium fenestratum,
Oldenlandia corymbose, Justicia adhatoda, Piper nigrum L, Glycyrrhiza glabra,
Coriandrum sativum and Solanum melongena L. were demonstrated using
antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This review contributes to the collective
understanding of the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the ingredients in
Dasapanguwa, as synthesized from literature on Google Scholar and PubMed.
Further research is needed to assess the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of
Dasapanguwa decoction due to the lack of existing literature on its capabilities.
