Physicochemical, Phytochemical and HPTLC Analysis of a Novel Combined Herbal Formulation

Background: Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Darchini), Alpinia galanga (Khulanjan), and Withania somnifera (Asgand) have been used in joint diseases by Unani scholars since long. The combination of these ingredients may be more effective than they are given alone as these drugs are having potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and rejuvenating properties. As per the WHO guideline, standardization should be done before under taking any experiment which claims safety and efficacy. Therefore, this study is aimed to establish the physicochemical and phytochemical quality standards for this novel combination of herbal formulation for future references. Methods: In present study, extractive values such as methanol extract, aqueous extract, chloroform extract and aqueous ethanol extract was obtained. Further, loss on drying, pH, ash values, fluorescence analysis, qualitative phytochemical analysis and HPTLC fingerprint profile were done. Results: Mean values of methanolic, water, chloroform, and aqueous ethanolic extracts were 10.4±0.77%, 13.0±1.3%, 2.3±0.26% and 15.28±1.18% respectively. Further, the total ash, acid insoluble ash, and water-soluble ash were 3.3±0.32%, 1.13±0.09%, and 1.72±0.2% respectively. pH of 1% extract was 5.57±0.16 and 5.37±0.32 for 10% extract. It was observed that the percentage of moisture content was 4.67±0.42%. Qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed that the extract contains carbohydrates, glycosides, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, proteins and amino-acids, alkaloids, and saponins. Further, HPTLC fingerprint revealed the presence of many plant metabolites and active ingredients. Conclusion: The data generated in this study have been reported for the first time for this novel drug combination, which could be used as a source for future studies.