Comparative Evaluation of In-House Prepared and Marketed Chaturbeeja Churna

Abstract

The standardization and quality control of herbs and herbal dosage forms with proper integration of modern scientific technique and traditional knowledge is important. The term 'standardization' refers to all actions undertaken during manufacturing and quality control to ensure consistent and reproducible product quality. The present study focuses on the comprehensive comparative evaluation of in-house prepared and marketed Chaturbeeja Churna. Chaturbeeja Churna is a classical ayurvedic formulation traditionally used for managing metabolic disorders. The formulation, comprises of four seeds viz. Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek), Nigella sativa (Kalonji), Lipidium sativum (Chandrasura), and Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain).  Each plant material were subjected to rigorous physicochemical, phytochemical, and quantitative estimation of secondary metabolites. These evaluation helps to assess quality, safety, and therapeutic potential of all the four seeds to be used in churna preparation. The in-house chaturbeeja churna was prepared according to the ayurvedic text. Standardized laboratory protocols were employed on Churna to determine parameters such as organoleptic, micromeritics, physicochemical and phytochemical properties. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) profiling was performed to evaluate chemical fingerprinting and ensure batch-to-batch consistency. The in-house formulation demonstrated superior physicochemical properties and a richer phytochemical profile, indicating better therapeutic efficacy. The marketed sample showed variability in certain physicochemical parameters, suggesting the need for stringent quality control practices. This study underscores the importance of standardization and quality assessment in the preparation of Ayurvedic formulations and provides a validated framework for future quality control of Chaturbeeja Churna and similar polyherbal products.