Ayurvedic Formulations

DR. KIRANKUMAR HULLATTI

M.PHARM.,PH.D.,DPPM
 Types of Formulations

1. Aristavas – spirituous liquids

2. Asawas – spirituous liquids
3. Kashayams – aqueous extract
4. Gritams – made with medicated glue
5. Churna – powder
6. Bhasma – alkaline ash
7. Leyhas – soft extracts like ointments
8. Rasayanams – mercurial
preparations
9. Taila – Oily preperations
 Arista and Asavas

 Asvarista preparations are those, which are obtained

by fermenting the drugs in liquid media for a definite
duration of time
 Previously Asava and Arista were not differentiated
 Cakradatta has defined them as:
 Asava were prepared by fermenting Sita kasayas
 Aristas were prepared by fermenting decoctions some sweet
material
 Arista and Asavas

 Factors influencing Asavaristas

1. Fermenting pots and their
disinfecting techniques
 Mud, Wooden and metal
(Gold &iron) pots were used
 Now plastic and Stainless Sympiocos racemosa
steel pots are used
 Disinfected by Applying paste
of honey and lodra or by
fumigating with Marica
(Pepper), Jatamansi, candana
etc.
Nardostachys jatamansi
 Arista and Asavas

2. Ingredients and their proportions

i. Medicinal Drugs
 Herbal – Juices, decoctions of plants
 Mineral – iron, Gold etc.
 Animal – Honey, ghee etc.
ii. Liquids – Water, juice, decoctions, gomutra,
dhanyamla, butter milk etc.
iii. Sweet Substances – Guda, Sarkara, Sita,
Phanita etc.
iv. Praksepaka dravy – Dhataki Puspa
 Arista and Asavas

3. General method of preparation (Asava)

 Coarsely powdered drug is soaked over night with sufficient quantity
of water
 Soaked drug with specified quantity of water, jaggery and
Praksepaka dravys are transferred to clean dry and sterilized
container
 Mouth of the container covered with clean cloth and placed in a dry,
warm room
 Every day (Till fermentation starts) ingradients are sterrred with
wooden rod to facilitate yeast growth
 Once the fermentation starts container is sealed and placed in one
place undisturbed
 Completion of the fermentation to be confirmed for every 15 days
 Once the fermentation completes the asava is filtered and stored in
clean and Dry container
 Arista and Asavas

 In case of Aristas decoction of the drug is prepared, filtered and

filtrate is used for the fermentation
4. Onset and completion of fermentation process
 Tests to know the onset of fermentation
1. Floating of Pr. Dravya
2. Effervescence
3. Hissing sound
4. Mild alcoholic odour
5. Extinguishing of burning candle
 Confirmation of completion
1. Absence of effervescence
2. No sound
3. Continuatuion of burning candle
 Arista and Asavas

5. Place, season and duration of fermentation

 Place – Containers are placed inside the heap of husk, wheat,
Paddy, Underground etc.
 Season – Autumn is good for fermentation
 Duration – varies from preparation to preparation and season to
season
 Shelf life – Infinite

 Examples
 Draksarista
 Dasamularista
 Kumaryasava
 Candanasava
 Ghutika (Vati)

 Definition - Is a solid dosage form which is prepared

by adding fine powder of drug(s) to liquified jaggery
or sugar or guggul or water or honey or swarasa by
heating or without heating
 Synonyms :
 Vataka – Bigger in size (More than 0.5 gm)
 Vatika – Smaller in size
 Modaka – Rounded lump or bolus (Laddu) (20 – 100 gms)
 Pindi – Pea sized pill
 Guda – medicament in lump/Paste/bolus form
 Varti – Elongated with tapering end (Suppository)
 Ghutika (Vati)

 General Method of Preparation

 Drug may be of plant, mineral or animal origin

 Drug is dried and fine powdered (separately)

 Drugs are added one after other in to Khalva Yantra and

ground to soft paste with prescribed fluid
 Sugandha dravyas are added and ground again (Kasturi or
Karpura)
 Prepared paste should not stick to fingers when rolled

 Rolled with fingers to make them pills

 Dried and stored in air tight containers

 If sugar is used, should kept away from moisture

 Ghutika (Vati)

 Expiry period – Up to two years

 Examples:
 Lavangadi vati

 Citrakadi vati

 Sanjivini Vati

 Arogya vardini vati

 Churna

 Churna is a fine powder of completely dried drug(s),

which is filtered through cloth (18-20 sieve)
 Types of Churna
 Coarse powder (Sthula) – 18-20 Sieve for Hima, Phantha,
Kasaya
 Fine Powder (Sukshma) – 60 Sieve for vati, lehya, Nasya
 Super fine powder (Atyanta sukhma) – 100 Sieve for bhasma

1 sieve = 1 hole/sq.inch
 Churna

 General method of Preperation

 Completely dried drug is powdered in pounding machine

 Passed through different sized sieves

 Different drugs and Praksepaka dravyas are mixed one after

the other as per the instruction to uniform mixing
 Mixed powder is again passed through specified mesh

 Stored in air tight, well closed container

 Shelf life – 2 months

 Churna

 Examples
 Hingastaka churna

 Sitophaladi Churna

 Talisadi Churna

 Lavana Bhaskara Churna

 Thaila

 Thaila are type of medicated fatty preparations,

prepared by using 1 part of Kalka drvya, 4 parts of oil
and 16 parts of drava dravyas
 General method of Preperation
 1 part of kalka dravya, 4 parts of oil and 16 parts of drava
dravyas are mixed together
 Boiled on low flame till only oil remains
 Filtered
 Stored
 Shelf life – 4 months
 Thaila

 General method of Preperation

 There are generally three essential components for the
preparation of taila
 drava (a liquid which may be one or more as kalka, svarasa, dugdha,
mastu, etc.)
 kalka (a fine paste of the drugs)
 sneha dravya (ghrta, taila, etc.)
 Generally, unless otherwise mentioned in the text. If kalka is 1
part by weight, sneha should be 4 parts and the drava-dravya
should be 16 parts. Exceptions are:
 where no drava is prescribed, four parts of water is added to one
part of sneha; the kalka is one fourth the weight of the sneha.
 where drava dravya is either kvatha or svarasa, kalka should
be one-sixth and one-eighth respectively of sneha.
 Thaila

 where the number of drava dravyas is four or less than four, each
drava has to be taken four times the weight of sneha.
 (if) when the drava dravyas are more than four, each drava will be
equal in weight to the sneha.
 if in a preparation, no kalka dravya is prescribed, then the drugs of
the kvtha may be used as kalka.
 The kalka and the drava are mixed together; sneha is then added
boiled and stirred well continuously so that the kalka is not allowed
to adhere to the vessel. Sometimes the drava-dravyas are directed to
be added one after another as the process of boiling is continued till
the drava-dravya added earlier has evaporated.
 When all the drava-dravyas have evaporated, the moisture in the
kalka will also begin to evaporate; at this stage, it has to be stirred
more often and carefully to ensure that the kalka does not stick to the
bottom of the vessel. The kalka is taken out of the ladle and tested
from time to time to know the condition and stage of the paka.
 Thaila

 Characteristics:
 Taila will generally have the color, odor and taste of the drugs
used and have the consistency of the oil. When considerable
quantity of milk is used in the preparation, the oil becomes
thick due to ghrta and in cold season may condense further
 Preservation:
 Tailas are preserved in glass, polythene or aluminum
containers. Preparations for internal use keep their potency for
about sixteen months
 Thaila

 Causes of deterioration
 Rancidity due to atmospheric oxygen

 Rancidity due to enzymatic action

 Indications
 Mainly used in Panchakarma tratment

 Used for external applications

 Thaila

 Examples
 Maha Narayana thaila - stiffness, facial paralysis, palsy
 Bala thaila - vomiting, swelling, cough, breathlessness, fever,
syncope, emaciation, epilepsy
 Apamarga Kshara thaila
 Bhrngaraja thaila – Hair grouth
 Lehya

 Avaleha or Lehya is a semi-solid preparation of

drugs, prepared with the addition of jaggery, sugar or
sugar-candy and boiled with prescribed drug juice or
decoction
 Lehya

 General Method of preparation

 These preparations generally have
1. kvatha or other liquids
2. jaggery, sugar or sugar-candy
3. powders or pulps of certain drugs
4. ghee, or oil and honey
 Jaggery, sugar or sugar-candy is dissolved in the liquid and strained to
remove the foreign particles.
 This solution is boiled over a moderate fire.
 When the paka (Phanita) is thready (tantumat) when pressed between
two fingers or when it sinks in water without getting easily dissolved, it
should be removed from the fire.
 Fine powders of drugs are then added in small quantities and stirred
continuously and vigorously to form a homogenous mixture.
 Ghee or oil, if mentioned, is added while the preparation is still hot
and mixed well. Honey, if mentioned, is added when the preparation is
cool and mixed well
 Lehya

 Characteristics:
 The Lehya should neither be hard nor be a thick fluid.

 When pulp of the drugs is added and ghee or oil is present in

the preparation, this can be rolled between the fingers.
 Growth of fungus over it or fermentation are, among others,
signs of deterioration.
 When metals are mentioned, the bhasmas of the metals are
used.
 In the case of drugs like bhallataka, purified drugs alone are
included in the preparation.
 The color and smell depend on the drugs used.
 Lehya

 Preservation and Storage:

 The Lehya should be kept in glass or porcelain jars.

 It can also be kept in a metal container which does not react

with it.
 Normally, Lehyas should be used within one year

 Examples
 Bhallataka Avaleha – bronchial asthma

 Chyavanprash Avaleha – memory enhancer

 Bhasma (Kshara)

 Powder of a substance obtained by calcination is

called Bhasma
 it is applied to metals and minerals and animal
products which are, by special processes, calcined in
closed crucibles in pits and with cow dung cakes
(puta)
 Calcination is that drying process by roasting which
produces a powder
 Bhasma

 General method of preparation

1. First stage (Sodhana) bhasmas are prepared from
purified minerals, metals, marine and animal
products
 In chemical purification it is only elimination of foreign
matters
 In medicinal purification (the objects aimed at are
a. Elimination of harmful matter from the drug
b. Modification of undesirable physical properties of the drug
c. Conversion of some of the characteristics of the drugs
d. The enhancement of the therapeutic action, thereby potentizing
the drug
 Bhasma

 Shodhana is of two kinds

 Samanya shodhana, which is applicable to a large number of
metals or minerals, is heating the thin sheets of the metal and
immersing them in taila, takra, gomutra etc.
 Àodhana which is applicable only to certain sand in certain
preparations. Viscsa shodhana lists of
1. Bhavana
2. Svedana
3. Nirvapana,
4. Mardana
5. Marana
 Bhasma

2. The second stage is the preparation of Bhasma

 Purified drug is put into a Khalva (stone mortar pestle)
and gound with juices of the specified plants or kasayas
of drugs mentioned for a particular mineral or metal
 It is ground for the specified period of time
 Then small cakes (cakrikas) are made
 These cakes are dried well under sunlight and placed in
one single layer in a shallow earthen plate (sarava) and
closed with another plate
 The edge is sealed with clay-smeared cloth in seven
consecutive layers and dried
 Bhasma

 A pit is dug in an open space

 The diameter and the depth of the pit depend on the
metal or mineral that is to be calcined
 Half the pit is filled with cow dung cakes
 The sealed earthen container is placed in it and the
remaining space is filled with more cow dung cakes
 Fire is put in all four sides and the middle of the pit
 When the burning is over, it is allowed to cool completely
 The earthen container is removed, the seal is opened and
the contents taken out
 Bhasma

 To this ash, 6 parts of water is added, stirred well

and kept overnight
 Filtered through a thick cloth
 The process is repeated 21 times with different
samples of water (pH should become neutral)
 Now all the filtrate is taken in SS vessel heated to
evaporate all the water
 The residue is collected powdered and stored in air
tight glass bottle
 Bhasma

 Characteristics
 There should be no chandrika (metallic luster)

 When taken between the index finger and thumb and spread, it
should be so fine as to get easily into the finger lines
 When a small quantity is spread on cold and still water, it
should float on the surface
 They have no characteristic taste

 Bhasmas are preserved in tight glass or earthen

containers.
 They maintain their potency indefinitely
 Bhasma

 Examples
 Abhraka Bhasma – weak
digestion, kapha diseases,
breathlessness, fever,
diabetes, anemaia, cough
 Tamra Bhasma – chest dis.,
obesity, swelling, anemia,
vata dis., kapha pitta dis.,
poisoning, TB, cough
 Vajra Bhasma – anemia,
obesity, diabetes, edema,
TB, eye dis., cancer