Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSTICAL STANDARDIZATION OF DASHANGA LEPA USING POWDER MICROSCOPY

Dr. Priyanka Patel*, Dr. Dharmendra Jani

ABSTRACT

Background: Dashanga Lepa is a classical polyherbal Ayurvedic formulation of ten drugs mentioned below Shirisha (Albizia lebbeck), Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Tagara (Valeriana wallichii), Rakta Chandana (Pterocarpus santalinus), Ela (Elettaria cardamomum), Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi), Haridra (Curcuma longa), Daruharidra (Berberis aristata), Kushtha (Saussurea Lappa) and Hrivera (Pavonia odorata). It is mentioned in Bhaishajya Ratnavali (Visarpa Rogadhikara) for external application in Visarpa, Kushtha and Shotha and is widely used in Vranashophaghna and Vishaghna karma. Material & Method: Powder microscopy of Dashanga Lepa procured from the local market of Vadodara, Gujarat, India, was carried out. The study was conducted in the Pharmacognosy Laboratory, Upgraded Department of Dravyaguna Vijnana, Government Ayurved College, Vadodara. Microscopic slides of the powdered formulation were prepared using appropriate reagents and approximately 10 slides were examined at 10x and 40x magnification under a compound microscope to identify the characteristic diagnostic microscopic features of its constituent herbal ingredients. Observation & Result: Powder microscopic evaluation of the market sample of Dashanga Lepa demonstrated the presence of diagnostic features corresponding to all 10 herbal ingredients of the formulation. Common diagnostic characters identified across the sample included parenchyma cells, starch grains, calcium oxalate crystals (prismatic and cluster type), fibres, cork cells, xylem vessels/tracheids, stone cells/sclereids, and oil/oleoresin structures. Of a total of 84 reference diagnostic characters compared across the 10 ingredients, 36 characters were confirmed present in the sample. None of the ten ingredients showed complete concordance with their respective reference standards; all ten - Shirisha, Yashtimadhu, Tagara, Rakta Chandana, Ela, Jatamansi, Haridra, Daruharidra, Kushtha, and Hrivera- showed partial concordance, with the proportion of matched characters ranging from as low as 2 of 9 reference characters (Kushtha) to as high as 6 of 12 (Jatamansi). Discussion and Conclusion: Ten herbal ingredients of Dashanga Lepa were evaluated using a total of 84 diagnostic microscopic characters drawn from their respective pharmacopoeial reference standards, of which 36 characters (approximately 42%) were confirmed present in the market sample, confirming partial concordance for every constituent drug. The absence of complete concordance in any single ingredient may be attributed to the combined effects of processing, pulverization, and the compounding complexity inherent to a ten-ingredient polyherbal formulation, wherein overlapping and fragmented tissue elements from multiple drugs can obscure or mask individually diagnostic features. Nonetheless, the presence of key ingredient-specific markers - such as prismatic crystals and phloem fibres for Shirisha, crystal fibres for Yashtimadhu, bordered-pit vessel fragments for Rakta Chandana, prisms for Ela, reticulate and annular vessel fragments for Jatamansi, and stone cells with pericyclic fibres for Hrivera - confirmed the presence and identity of the major herbal constituents of the formulation.

Keywords: Powder microscopy, Dashanga Lepa, Standardization, Powder microscopy, Adulteration.