Physico-chemical characterization of traditionally prepared Yashada bhasma

BACKGROUND: Yashada bhasma has been found to be very useful for the treatment of ailments like diabetes, eye disorder, urinary disorder etc. Since bhasma is a metallic preparation, so to prove its non-toxicity; modern standardization of the prepared samples is a must apart from other organoleptic tests as mentioned in the ancient text. OBJECTIVES: The present study is aimed to synthesize bio-compatible Yashada bhasma from bio-incompatible zinc metal. Further, comparative study of their chemical and physical properties through some quality control tests, physico-chemical tests and modern tests like XRD, DLS, Zeta potential, SEM and EDAX are carried out. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Yashada bhasma is prepared by a three step process i.e. Shodhan, Jarana and Marana. The inclusion of plant extracts and herbs during calcination process enhances its medicinal qualities, and reduces it to a nano size. RESULTS: The XRD analysis of Yashada bhasma shows hexagonal ZnO crystalline phase whereas the raw metal confirms the presence of crystallite Zinc metal. DLS shows reduction in particle size of Yashada Bhasma (339.8 nm) as compared to raw metal (2063 nm) and this reduction is further supported by SEM which shows the particle size of Yashada bhasma (324 nm) and raw metal (1-2μ). The zeta potential value confirms the stability of Yashada bhasma. EDAX revealed difference in concentration of Zinc and Oxygen in both the samples. CONCLUSION: An effort has been made to characterize the preparation of Yashada bhasma using sophisticated analytical tools as a step towards standardization of the bhasma. The results help in scientifically establishing the findings in line with the principle of Ayurveda.