Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSTIC STANDARDIZATION OF GUDUCHYADI KWATH BY POWDER MICROSCOPY: DIAGNOSTIC MARKERS FOR QUALITY EVALUATION OF A CLASSICAL AYURVEDIC HERBAL FORMULATION

Dr. Dave Priyanshu*, Dr. Dharmendra Jani

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Guduchyadi Kwath is a classical Ayurvedic herbal formulation described in Ayurvedic texts for various therapeutic applications. Scientific standardization of traditional formulations is necessary to ensure their authenticity, quality, and safety. Pharmacognostical evaluation provides reliable parameters for the identification and quality control of herbal medicines. Methods: Powder microscopy of Guduchyadi Kwath procured from the local market was carried out to identify its characteristic botanical features. A total of 9 microscopic slides were prepared using glycerin as the mounting reagent. The slides were examined under a digital binocular compound microscope with an integrated LCD screen and a simple microscope using 20× and 40× magnification to observe the diagnostic microscopic characters of the formulation. Results: Microscopic examination revealed characteristic features such as cork cell fragments, parenchymatous cells containing simple starch grains, lignified stone cells, septate and crystal fibres, bordered pitted xylem vessels, Cell of endosperm fill aleurone grain, unicellular and multicellular trichomes, prismatic and rosette calcium oxalate crystals, and numerous oil globules. These features correspond to the known microscopic characteristics of the constituent drugs. Discussion and Conclusion: The observed microscopic characters confirmed the presence of Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Padmaka, Aristha (Azadirachta indica), Dhanyaka (Coriandrum sativum), and Raktachandana (Pterocarpus santalinus) in Guduchyadi Kwath. The study establishes dependable pharmacognostical standards that can be used for the identification and quality assessment of commercial samples, thereby supporting the standardization and safe use of this classical Ayurvedic formulation.

Keywords: Guduchyadi Kwath, Pharmacognosy, Powder Microscopy, Standardization, herbal Formulation.