PHARMACEUTICAL PROCESSING AND ANALYTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF METAL-BASED AYURVEDIC DRUG “TAMRA BHASMA”

The preparation of metal-based Indian traditional drugs involves the conversion of pure metal into its therapeutically effective form. “Tamra Bhasma” (calcined copper) is one such herbometallic preparation used for various medical conditions like anaemia, obesity, and skin disease, disorders of the liver and spleen, hyper-acidity, rhinitis, hemorrhoids. A detailed evaluation of the changes occurring during each step of pharmaceutical processing, factors affecting the type of Puta and its physicochemical characterization has been examined in the present work. The pharmaceutical preparation of “Tamra Bhasma” (TB) includes quenching in liquid media, then boiling in liquid, followed by calcination and finally to remove the leftover blemishes, potentiation is carried out. Traditional Puta (the process of controlled heating and cooling) system has been used for its calcinations and Kajjali and Gandhaka have been used as media for calcinations of Tamra. TB has been subjected to different physicochemical characterization using XRD and SEM-EDXA. The result suggests that Bhasma Parikshas (confirmatory tests) are the most reliable criteria to authenticate the formation of a good quality final product. TB was prepared in 19 Putas, maintaining a temperature range of 500⁰C – 600⁰C. It is chemically Copper (II) sulphide, the compound formed is covellite as per XRD analysis and its particle size ranges between 10-50 µm as per SEM analysis. Cu and S are in major amounts 61.2 % wt. and 36.3 % wt. respectively; apart from that Si and Fe are also present in very fewer amounts as per EDXA findings.