Pharmaceutical Standardization and HPTLC Fingerprinting of Erandamooladi Fume Stick (Dhoomavarti): A Herbal Formulation

Abstract

Introduction: Ensuring the identity, quality, safety, and reproducibility, standardizing a drug has
become a cornerstone of the drug in the modern era. When treating illnesses in the Supraclavicular
(Urdhwajatrugata) region, a special type of medicated fume inhalation therapy (Dhoomanasya) using
medicated fume sticks (Dhoomavarti) is mentioned in Ayurveda. The HPTLC fingerprinting technique
is a commonly used approach for herbal formulation quality monitoring and hence can be used to monitor
the quality of the medicated fume stick.
Aim: To evaluate the pharmaceutical and analytical profile of Erandamooladi fume stick (Dhoomavarti)
through organoleptic evaluation, physicochemical parameters, and HPTLC fingerprinting.
Materials and Methods: The formulation was prepared in a single batch using authenticated raw drugs:
Erandamoola (Ricinus communis), Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi), Guggulu (Commiphora mukul),
Aguru (Aquilaria agallocha), and Chandana (Santalum album). Organoleptic and physicochemical
parameters like loss on drying, ash value, extractive values, carbon content, and volatile oil content and
some specific phytochemical tests were performed as per standard guidelines. HPTLC fingerprinting
was performed using methanol extract of the formulation and the developed plate was observed under
UV light.
Results: The formulation was brown in colour, hard in consistency, and had a camphor-like odour. Loss
on drying was 5.8%, total ash value was 5%, and acid insoluble ash was found to be 2.3%. Water-soluble
extract was 14% and alcohol-soluble extractive was 18%. Carbon content was 0.3% per varti and volatile
oil content was 0.4%. HPTLC profile showed multiple bands under UV light, indicating the presence of
diverse phytoconstituents.
Conclusion: These analytical findings provides baseline standardization parameters and establishes the
HPTLC fingerprint of this herbal formulation. These findings may be useful for future quality control,
reproducibility, and research validation.