WHO Guided Real Time Stability Testing on Shankhpushpi Syrup

Shankhpushpiis widely used herb in numerous CNS active Ayurvedic formulations, which are consumed by population of all age groups. The present study is designed to evaluate the stability of commercially available shankhpushpi syrup as per WHO guidelines. The study was conducted under long term conditions for 12 months on three different batches of the product. An HPLC-UV method was developed and validated to determine the marker (scopoletin) content in the stability samples. Peak purity was determined using HPLC-PDA analysis. Each stability sample was investigated for any change in physical, chemical and biological parameters with respect to control sample. The product was found to be stable in terms of physical parameters whereas significant change was observed in total phenolic content and content of scopoletin. The antioxidant, acetylcholine esterase inhibitory and antianxiety activities of the stability samples decreased with respect to control sample. Moreover, there was significant variation in chemical and biological parameters among the batches. The findings suggested that the product was unstable and further studies are required to be conducted in order to determine the shelf life of the product.