Standard manufacturing procedure of Teekshna lauha bhasma

BACKGROUND: Lauha bhasma is one of the herbo-metallic preparations used in Ayurveda, a traditional Indian system of medicine for treating various ailments such as anemia, diarrhea, hyperlipidemia and diabetes. OBJECTIVE: To establish standard manufacturing procedure of Teekshna lauha bhasma and analyze its physico-chemical properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The preparation of T. lauha bhasma (calx of iron [Fe] turning) involves samanya shodhana, vishesha shodhana followed by bhanupaka, sthalipaka and putapaka with Triphala kwatha as a medium under temperature of 650 °C in electric muffle furnace (EMF) and maintained for 1 h. T. lauha bhasma were subjected to different physico-chemical characterization using X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results suggest that these steps are necessary to obtain a good quality of bhasma and also make it acceptable for trituration during Bhasmikarana process. It is found that T. lauha bhasma was prepared properly in 20 puta at a temperature of 650 °C. The particle size of 20 puta T. lauha bhasma is 100–500 nm in range. CONCLUSION: Pharmaceutical procedures given in Ayurvedic texts are necessary to prepare pakwa jambu phala varna T. lauha bhasma that complies with all the classical bhasma pariksha and modern analytical parameters in 20 puta at a temperature of 650 °C maintained for 1 h in EMF.