Chemistry of Kupipakwa Rasayanas – A Review
Kupipakwa Rasayanas are very popular and commonly prescribed preparations among the Ayurvedic physicians, and are looked upon as panacea. These are prepared in a specially designed glass bottle by gradual heating immersion in sand bath (Valuka Yantra). Particular chemical processes are involved in these preparations which also bear testimony to the great chemical knowledge prevailing in ancient India. In the present review, the probable chemistry of Kupipakwa Rasayanas has been discussed.
PRELIMINARY QUALITATIVE SCREENING, PHYSICOCHEMICAL STANDARDIZATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF A HERBO MINERAL SIDDHA FORMULATION GANDHAGA
extracting the chemical to target the effect led to suggestion that most drugs are devoid of activity which may due to the in-vitro methods and lack of solubility of the drug. This paves way to support traditional formulations, where drug parts are added as such and processed and the finished product administered with suitable adjuvants (Gunshot method to treat the individual as a whole). The objective of the present study to evaluate the organoleptic characters, acid and basic radicals, pH, phytochemicals, standardize physico chemically to authenticate the sulphur based classical Siddha formulation Gandaka karuppu and also to evaluate the antimicrobial activity. The Results revealed, the presence of sulphate, chloride, carbonate, fluoride and iron and ammonium, acidic pH, no significant antimicrobial activity , higher acid insoluble ash values which might be due to higher mineral content present in the finished product. The Organoleptic characters and other physicochemical values signify the good quality and purity of the herbo-mineral drug Gandhaga karuppu.
Making governmental policy under conditions of scientific uncertainty: A century of controversy about saccharin in congress and the laboratory
FROM almost the moment of its discovery and subsequent laboratory synthesis in 1878, saccharin (ortho-benzosulfimide) has been a subject of sustained and often heated discussion. In general, this controversy has followed two rather distinct paths. The first, that of the historians, centres on the circumstances surrounding the initial discovery and the men responsible for it--Constantin Fahlberg 1 and Ira Remsen. 2 In fact, it was a contested lawsuit involving Fahlberg which, in the late 1890s, first brought widespread public attention to saccharin. 3 Scholars continue to be interested in the discovery itself, but recent events have also given prominence to the second side of the discussion about saccharin, namely, the medical and pharmacological debate concerning the effects of its use. It is here that governmental and public concern have been most apparent. Put simply, the question is: is the consumption of saccharin hazardous to human health, and, if so, what regulatory steps should be taken by governmental officials to control the public's access to this most widely used of artificial sweeteners? 4 In 1907, saccharin came under examination and criticism by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); the controversy has not ceased since then. Beginning in 1972, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been pressing the saccharin industry, and an outright prohibition on the sweetener has become a real possibility for the first time in history.