Asian Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Acute and sub chronic toxicity study of Saraswata Ghrita

Radhey Shyam Tiwari¹, A. Trigunayat², B. L. Pandey³ and J.S. Tripathi⁴

¹Research scholar Department of Kayachikitsa, Division of Manas Chikitsa (Psychosomatic Medicine and Neuro-psychiatry), Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University

²Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University.

³Professor &Head, Department of Pharmacology Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University.

⁴Professor and Incharge, Division of Manas Chikitsa (Psychosomatic Medicine & Neuropsychiatry) Department of Kayachikitsa Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University.

Abstract

Saraswata ghrita was commonly used in traditional medicine for memory enhancing and various other mental disorders from centuries and are known not to produce any toxic or adverse effect in humans but probably there is no scientific evidence available on toxicity till date. For present study Saraswata ghrita mentioned in Bhaisajya Ratnawali Swarbheda Rogadhikar (chapter 17) was taken. The acute toxicity study was carried out in Wister mice (20±5) and observed for any adverse effects and mortality for 72 hrs after the oral administration of single dose of drug at several levels higher than the therapeutically equivalent dose. The subchronic toxicity study was carried out in the Charles Foster strain albino rats of male sex weighing between 150±10 g on continued oral administration of SG for one month period.

Animals treated with Saraswta Ghrita (SG) did not show any signs of toxicity in the acute toxicity study up to the dose of up to 20 times of therapeutic dose. No mortality was observed during 72 hours after drug treatment. After oral administration of SG,(5.40gm / kg and 10.80gm / kg) for 30 consecutive days there were no treatment related toxic effects were observed in body weight, growth pattern, hematological and biochemical parameters of rats. Also there were no any histopathological changes found in various organs of rats. Depends on our observations it can be concluded that the preparation as a whole was found to be safe in all routine lab investigations both in short and long term even on higher than normal therapeutic doses.

Keywords:

Saraswata Ghrita, Toxicity, Ayurveda.