Research Paper
Analytical evaluation of Shilajit from different geographical origins
Shilajit is a sticky substance found primarily in the rocks of the Himalayas. It develops over centuries from the slow decomposition of plants. The composition of shilajit largely depends on the type of plants associated with the rocks. Since the drug does not have specific organized morphological structure, it is very difficult to authenticate the drug. The primary component of shilajit is the fulvic acid which contributes to cognitive health. An attempt was thus made to establish an easy method for standardization & hence authentication of shilajit obtained from different geographical sources. Standardization assures that products are reliable in terms of quality, efficacy, performance, and safety. High-performance thin layer chromatography proves to be a good method for quantification of shilajit using a standard marker compound. As none of the methods given in literature were capable of providing good separation, a simple method was developed for detection and quantification of fulvic acid in three raw shilajit samples from different geographical origin and purified Indian shilajit. The developed method was validated for various parameters. Fulvic acid was estimated at 254nm by densitometry by using Merck, reversed phase thin layer chromatography plate silica gel 60 as the stationary phase and a combination of methanol: water (1:1) as a mobile phase. Validation was done using the sample containing the maximum amount of fulvic acid. It was found that purified sample showed the presence of the maximum concentration of fulvic acid. The method was found to be linear, specific, accurate and reproducible.
Published by: Raisa Shaikh, Dr. Swati Patil
Author: Raisa Shaikh
Paper ID: V4I3-1300
Paper Status: published
Published: May 8, 2018
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