The chemical role of natural substances used in Lauha Bhasma preparation

B T Punchihewa; M A B Prashantha; P I Godakumbura; S K M K Herapathdeniya

doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2021.02.003

The chemical role of natural substances used in Lauha Bhasma preparation

J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2022 Jan-Mar;13(1):100412. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2021.02.003. Epub 2021 Dec 3.

Authors

B T Punchihewa¹, M A B Prashantha², P I Godakumbura¹, S K M K Herapathdeniya³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka. Electronic address: mabp@sjp.ac.lk.
³ Department of Ayurveda Pharmacology and Pharmaceuticals, Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Lauha Bhasma (LB) is a prominent Ayurveda medicine and is used as an ingredient to prepare other indigenous medicines in Ayurveda. The outcomes of this study on chemical and physical changes during the preparation process of LB become significant to explore ancient knowledge of east within the modern context. The preparation process of LB was carried out under laboratory conditions; starting from the elemental form of the Iron sample to identify the chemical and physical changes. The metallic composition of the starting material and intermediate products formed during the LB preparation process was determined using the AAS technique. The variation of the amount of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ throughout the process and formation of nanoparticles was identified using quantitative analysis. Even though the amount of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Mn) present in the starting material is low, the trace level of heavy metals in the iron sample significantly reduces during the LB preparation process. Irregular-shaped, agglomerated, blackish red (Pakvajambuphala varna) fine LB powder formed at the end of the Putapaka step. The value of ancient knowledge can be revealed using the chemical and physical changes identified throughout the study on the LB preparation process.

Keywords: Ayurveda; Lauha; Lauha bhasma; Shodhana.