Qualitative Analysis of Calendula officinalis Homeopathic Mother Tincture with the help of high Performance Thin Layer Chromatography

Chromatography is useful in qualitative and quantitative analysis of drugs especially mother tinctures and lower potencies. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and paper chromatography (PC) are usually employed in the H.P.I. assays and tests. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is a simple, quick, and inexpensive procedure that gives a quick answer as to how many components are in a mixture. TLC is also used to support the identity of a compound in a mixture when the Rf of a known compound (preferably both run on the same TLC plate).

1Standard Calendula Officinalis mother tincture was tested against a pharmaceutical preparation of mother tincture of the same. 2 It was analysed for its components using HPTLC. 3 Stationary phase consisted of TLC Aluminium sheets with silica gel 60 F253 pre-coated layer (20cm x 10cm), thickness-0.2mm, no. of tracks-18, band length-6mm. 4 Mobile Phase consisted of Chloroform: Methanol (9.5: 0.5). 5 The plate was developed in developing chamber and observed under U.V. Light.

1 Colours seen on the HPTLC Plates of samples are pink/violet which corresponds to amino acids, green which corresponds to sterols, dark blue which corresponds to saponins, purple which corresponds to triterpenoids and orange which corresponds to alkaloids. 2 The spectra analysis of standard and sample shows equivalent peak/rise and fall in the spectra at exactly equivalent wavelengths.

Therapeutic action of Calendula Officinalis as noted in Homoeopathic Materia Medica is because of the active principles like saponins, alkaloids, triterpenoudsaponins, sterols and amino acids present it which is evident from the chromatogram.