Background: Traditional Ayurvedic medicines like Triphala Churna is widely used, but its modernization and global acceptance is hindered by inherent variability in quality due to factors like collection, processing, and environmental conditions. This variability can lead to inconsistent therapeutic outcomes and the proliferation of substandard products. Establishing robust quality control and standardization parameters is crucial to ensure the safety, efficacy, and consistency of these formulations. Introduction: Despite its widespread traditional use and availability, scientific validation of its therapeutic efficacy and comprehensive standardization is often lacking. The current research aims to establish quality control parameters and standardization for an in-house prepared Triphala Churna, providing scientific data for its therapeutic repositioning. Methodology: Raw materials were sourced, shade-dried, powdered, and sieved through BSS Mesh 85. The formulation was prepared as per AFI. Quality control involved powder microscopy, preliminary phytochemical evaluation, determination of extractive values in various solvents, and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) fingerprint development. TLC plates were developed with Toluene: Methanol mobile phase and visualized at 366 nm. Results: Powder microscopy revealed distinct cellular structures for Amla, Harda and Beheda. The Triphala Churna exhibited a mixture of these characteristics, confirming its authentic composition. Extractive values were observed to be highest in D/W followed by methanol and ethanol. Preliminary phytochemical screening identified major phytochemical groups in varying intensities. The formulation notably contains a higher average of all phytoconstituents compared to individual ingredients, particularly basic alkaloids. Finally, TLC fingerprinting showed distinct patterns for each ingredient and the formulation. Conclusion: This study successfully establishes comprehensive quality control and standardization parameters for Triphala Churna using powder microscopy, phytochemical analysis, and TLC fingerprinting. The distinct microscopic and chromatographic profiles provide essential tools for authenticating ingredients, detecting adulteration, and ensuring batch-to-batch consistency. These findings contribute significant scientific data for the rigorous quality assurance of Triphala Churna, supporting its future therapeutic validation and potential repositioning in pharmaceutical applications.
Joshi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.