THE AYURVEDIC FORMULARY OF INDIA: Part I

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The first edition of Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI) was published in the year 1978. This was a unique attempt of its nature wherein the scattered information on various formulations in classical Ayurvedic books was compiled in such a way to make it suitable to develop pharmacopoeia standards and also to meet the requirements of drugs and cosmetics Act. During these 24 years there has been significant increase in the information on Ayurvedic drugs identification of constituents of the drugs parts used method of preparation and standardization of the products. At the same time new problems have also emerged in this sector. For example the non availability of some of the constituent drugs especially the roots and barks of various plant species and the problems experienced by the pharmaceutical industry to prepare these formulations according to the classical descriptions mentioned in the first edition .

The second edition of AFI has the following specific features

(i) List of single drugs of animal mineral and plant origin has been prepared on the basis of the names appeared in the formulations. Their official names and English equivalents are given for easy identification

(ii) List of plant drugs has been edited as per botanical names of the plants appearing in the formulations for the convenience of the users pharmacy experts and for the people who are not very much familiar with Ayurvedic terminology.

(iii) List of Ayurvedic terms of therapeutic indication and their appropriate English equivalents has also been included in this edition.

(iv) The Therapeutic indications for the various formulations have also been indicated as mentioned in the original book of reference.

(v) The Original shlokas of reference form where the formulations has been derived have also been included with the formulations for ready reference.

(vi) Keeping in mind the non availability of roots and barks and regulating laws of the country alternative parts of the plants have been indicated for the various formulations.

With the above said additions the second revised edition of AFI has become more informative user friendly and of international standard for the global users. Now Ayurvedic experts and other scientists can also make use of this book.

Ayurvedic formulary of India (AFI) Part I comprises of 444 classical formulations of Ayurveda which are the most commonly manufactured and used in clinical practice of Ayurveda. Ayurvedic formulary of India Part I first Edition was published in the year 1978 and was the first official document of its kind on Ayurvedic medicines. This document brought uniformity amongst the manufactures to follow the same formula of ingredients in the same proportion. Subsequently Ayurvedic formulary of India Part I was included in the first schedule of the drugs and cosmetics Act 1940 to give it a legal status.

The need to bring out the second edition of Ayurvedic formulary of India Part I was felt as there were a lot of developments in the last 24 years after the document was used by the manufactures. The second edition is an improved document wherein the original shlokas have been given along with the formulations for which English translation is carried out. The ambiguities in various parts of the plants used in the drugs which the users came across have been clarified. The authentic botanical names of the drugs permissible parts used in lieu of the non available parts approximate English names of the Ayurvedic terms etc. are some of the additions made in the second edition of Ayurvedic formulary of India. All these features have made this document more user friendly not only for the Ayurvedic doctors but also for the scholars of other specialties.

This book has been prepared under the constant expert guidance of the Members of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee by the technical staff of the Department of Indian Systems of medicine & Homoeopathy associated with the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia work. Translation work and addition of Sanskrit references along with the English equivalents etc. required a lot of hard work and time of the experts which deserves appreciation. I hope that the second edition will not only be useful to the Ayurvedic doctors in India but also to experts in foreign countries where the interest of Ayurveda is growing.

The first edition of Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI) was published in the year 1978. This was a unique attempt of its nature wherein the scattered information on various formulations in classical Ayurvedic books was compiled in such a way to make it suitable to develop pharmacopoeia standards and also to meet the requirements of drugs and cosmetics Act. During these 24 years there has been significant increase in the information on Ayurvedic drugs identification of constituents of the drugs parts used method of preparation and standardization of the products. At the same time new problems have also emerged in this sector. For example the non availability of some of the constituent drugs especially the roots and barks of various plant species and the problems experienced by the pharmaceutical industry to prepare these formulations according to the classical descriptions mentioned in the first edition. Some of the ambiguities were also identified with regard to the parts used method of preparation of the formulation as well as botanical identity of the drugs.

The second edition of AFI has the following specific features

(vii) List of single drugs of animal mineral and plant origin has been prepared on the basis of the names appeared in the formulations. Their official names and English equivalents are given for easy identification

(viii) List of plant drugs has been edited as per botanical names of the plants appearing in the formulations for the convenience of the users pharmacy experts and for the people who are not very much familiar with Ayurvedic terminology.

(ix) List of Ayurvedic terms of therapeutic indication and their appropriate English equivalents has also been included in this edition.

(x) The Therapeutic indications for the various formulations have also been indicated as mentioned in the original book of reference.

(xi) The Original shlokas of reference form where the formulations has been derived have also been included with the formulations for ready reference.

(xii) Keeping in mind the non availability of roots and barks and regulating laws of the country alternative parts of the plants have been indicated for the various formulations.

With the above said additions the second revised edition of AFI has become more informative user friendly and of international standard for the global users. Now Ayurvedic experts and other scientists can also make use of this book.

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia committee by the government of India vide letter No. X.19011/94-APC dated 6th January 1998 and reconstituted vide letter No. X-19011/6/94-APC dated 21st June 2001 suggested the necessary additions alternations in the first edition.

The efforts put in by the expert members and technical staff of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee cell of the Deptt. of ISM & H deserve appreciation.

All the work especially preparing various annexure of English equivalents botanical names addition of Slokas preparing list of ingredients as appear in the various formulations and proof reading of the additions translation with dialectical marks was a Herculean task which requires a thorough knowledge only with the constant efforts of Prof. V.V. Prasad. Dravya Guna Expert and Director Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV) Member Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia committee Prof. Prasad and the staff of RAV also put in lost of efforts to give a final shape to this volume they deserve special appreciation. Thanks are also due to Vaidya Tarachand Sharma fro shi cooperation in proof reading of Slokas of Formulations and staff members of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth for all the help.

The system of Ayurveda, although at present mainly confined to India, has had a much wider reorganization and prevalence in the past as early as dawn of human civilization and Vedic period.

This system has undergone many vicissitudes in the course of its long and chequered history. However, it still remains the mainstay of medical relief to the majority of the people in this country. Even in the neighboring countries the system of Ayurveda is reported to be fairly prevalent. During the medieval period the system of Unani medicine was introduced and it was only in the sixteenth century A.D. that the western (allopathic) system came to be introduced in the country. However, Ayurveda continues to be the largest system of medical relief for the masses.

The system of Ayurveda embraces within its fold drugs of plant, animal and mineral origin, both single drugs and compound formulations. Although Ayurveda does not rule out any substance from being used as a potential source of medicine, presently about 1000 single drugs and 8000 compound formulations of recognized merit are in vogue. All the main classical works on Ayurveda, such as Caraka Samhita, Suruta Samhita, Astanga Sangraha and Astanga Hrdaya deal with drugs, their composition and action in addition to the other aspects of the medical system. Some of the Ayurvedic books known as Nighantugranthas like Dhanvantarinighantu, Kaiyadevanighantu, Rhavapraksanighantu, Rãjanighantu etc., deal mainly with single drugs, describing their habitat, characteristics and therapeutic action. Ayurvedic compound formulations are divided into two groups viz. (I) Kasthausadhi (predominantly plant thug) and (2) Rasauadhi predominantly metals and minerals).

There are many authentic books on both the groups of compound formulations. While Sarngadhara samhita Cakradatta, Bhaisajyaratnavali, Shasrayogam Bharat Bhaisajya Ratnakara, etc. deal with both the groups of formulations other like rasendra Sarasangraha Rasaratna Samuccaya Rasaprakasa Sudhakara, Ayurvedaprakasa, Rasatarngini, Rasayogasagara etc. deal only with Rasausadhi group of formulations.

There are several categories of Kasthausadhi formulations such as Asavãrista, Avaleha. Ghrta, Curna, Taila etc., and of Rasausadhis such as Bhasma, Pisti, Lauha, Mandura, Kupipakva, rasayana etc which are described in this volume.

Till recently Ayurvedic medicines used to be prepared by the practicing physician himself the use of his patients. He was well qualified for identifying the single drugs and trained in various processes of preparing the compound formations because of his training in the Guruparampara system. The physician was at liberty to modify the composition of any preparation according to prevailing local conditions and with a view to serve the needs of any individual patient. In course of time, though the name of the formulation remained the same, variation in composition became an established practice. This resulted in the same preparation having different composition as well as different therapeutic indications. This inevitably resulted in a sort of confusion in the minds of unwary physicians who find themselves at a loss to choose an appropriate remedy. In the case of individual drugs, on account of various ecological factors. the same plant has varying properties depending upon the region, the climatic conditions of its growth The text is being interpreted in regional languages and conclusions drawn, as based on the actual clinical experience of the physician in that region. Due to lapse of long period of continuity over the ages drugs which were at one time identified with one term have now been equated with others of the same name. all these factors have contributed as in the case of formulations to a state of uncertainty about the identity and use of the drugs.

The practice of the individual physician identifying drugs and preparing medicines himself for the use of his patients has been largely supplanted by the Pharmaceutical industry no longer except in a few cases does the physician particularly in the urban area undertake to prepare his own requirements of drugs he prefers to purchase them straight from the market. Even the patient has become more sophisticated and prefers purchasing a ready made drug from a manufacturer instead of obtaining it from his own physician. On account of increasing urbanization the tendency is towards more and more dependence on readymade preparations. The increasing needs of the population and the chronic shortage of authentic raw materials have made it incumbent that some sort of uniformity in the manufacture of Ayurvedic medicines should be brought about evolution of standards for Ayurvedic drugs in the modern sense considering the vast number of such drugs and their formulation is a time and money consuming task and will take considerable time for its achievement.

In view of the present trend of commercialization in the preparation and marketing of Ayurvedic medicines and to ensure the interests of the profession and public the government of India considered it expedient to utilize the existing law which controls the standards of allopathic drugs namely the drugs and cosmetics Act 1940 to also control in a limited measure the Ayurvedic Siddha and Unani drugs by amending the Act.

Development of standards for the identity quality and purity of single drugs to start with and of formulations at a later stage assume importance for the effective enforcement of the provisions of the act. If the raw materials to be used is a medicine and stage by stage processes of manufacture are standardized the final product namely the compound formulations can be expected to conform to uniform standards. The requirements that he list of ingredients be displayed on the label will enable analysts in important cases to verify label claims and to that extent will bind the manufacturer to make a true claim. Arrangements to evolve and lay down physical chemical and biological tests where necessary to identify the drug and ascertain its quality and to detect adulterations are an urgent necessity. Setting up of drug Standardisation Research testing and control laboratories for Ayurvedic Medicines both at all India and regional levels for this purpose is therefore essential. Several committees appointed by the Government of India to of preparing an Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia.