Pharmaceutical standardization of Apamarga kshara

Standardization of herbal drugs is essential to certify their quality and purity. Kshara (alkaline substance) of Apamarga (Achyranthes aspera Linn.) is an important constituent in many Ayurvedic formulations, but its standard manufacturing process (SMP) is not attempted till date. This study is aimed to establish SMP for Apamarga kshara. In pharmaceutical process; generally the sediments of ash obtained at the end of washes will be discarded. However, in the study, we attempted to wash the sediments repeatedly by adding water to extract more Kshara. Apamarga was collected from the local area and authenticated. Kshara was prepared by following standard methods and the preliminary physicochemical profile was developed. It is observed that the ash yields Kshara even in the consecutive washes. First wash yielded 21.23% w/w Kshara, while the second and third washes yielded 9.38% w/w and 4.76% w/w, respectively. Repeated washes yield more Kshara. Hence, it is advocated to wash the ashes repeatedly. As the findings are encouraging, similar experiments can be extended to all other Kshara preparations.