Phytochemical and pharmacognostical evaluation of Kodiveli Churnam - A polyherbal Siddha formulation

Kodiveli Churnam is a traditional Siddha formulation made up of Plumbago zeylanica, Pongamia pinnata, Chukrasia tabularis, Piper longum, Brassica juncea, Nigella sativa, Zingiber officinalis and Terminalia chebula. The formulation has been studied using the macroscopic, microscopic, TLC/HPTLC techniques. The pharmacognostical studies revealed the presence of specific characteristic features of the raw drugs. The HPTLC fingerprinting was derived using a specific solvent system which could capture majority of the phytoconstituents of this drug. It is concluded that the formulation of Kodiveli churnam, the HPTLC fingerprinting and microscopic characteristics can be used to validate the preparation and authenticity of the formulation.