Chemical fingerprinting for quality Control of some ashtawarga plants

Abstract

newlineFour plants, Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All., P. cirrhifolium (Wall.) Royle, newlineHabenaria edgeworthii H.f. and H. intermedia D.Don, were selected for the proposed newlinestudy. These plants are commonly known as Mahameda, Meda, Riddhi, and Vriddhi, newlinerespectively and belongs to families Liliaceae and Orchidaceae. These are an newlineimportant ingredient of Ashtawarga and rejuvenating Ayurvedic formulations. Now newlinedays, these plants comes under the category of endangered plants due to a number of newlinereasons like large scale or indiscriminate collection of wild material. To fulfill steeply newlineincreased demand and declined supply, these plants have been collected in destructive newlinemanner resulting in reduced plant population and pushing the plant in the Red list of newlinethreatened species. Ever rising demands, lack of natural sources and insufficient newlinequantity, to meet the requirements of the market, Department of AYUSH has newlinerecommended the use of substitutes. It has encouraged manufacturers for adulteration newlineof formulations by other substandard/spurious raw drugs. Literature reveals that more newlinethan 60% Ayurvedic parameters as well as pharmacological actions of Ashtawarga newlineplants do not match with their substitutes leading to reduced efficacy of the drugs newlinealong with loss of faith for use of herbal drugs. However, these substitutes are also in newlinea threatened situation.