An Ayurvedic Magic Remedy (Natural herbal tea) With Promising Health Benefits: Preparation and Standardization

The growing demand for safer and more sustainable therapeutic choices, particularly in regions where conventional treatments are linked to adverse effects or restricted accessibility, is reflected in the growing interest in herbal and alternative medicine around the world ¹. In the field of traditional medicine, the use of natural remedies has become more and more common. Numerous plants and plant-derived compounds have been found to have therapeutic and medical properties. Ancient ways are making a comeback in many facets of life as the world continues to change and the benefits of traditional practices are increasingly recognised ²

"Tisanes," or herbal tea, is the infusion of plants other than Camellia sinensis. Despite having a similar appearance and preparation process, herbal tea is not tea at all. Tisanes and herbal teas are not the same as regular teas, which are made from the Camellia Sinensis plant. These herbal teas are created by infusing seeds, dried leaves, nuts, grasses, barks, flowers, fruits, or other botanical materials to produce their distinctive flavour and health benefits. Unlike other types of tea, herbal teas are easy to drink because they taste good and don't contain caffeine.

A single herb or a blend of herbs that are believed to have a specific effect—such as relaxation, rejuvenation, or relief from particular ailments—can be used to make these teas. The growing popularity of herbal tea in both domestic and foreign markets for its health advantages has led to an increase in its consumption over the past several years. Numerous studies have examined the numerous health advantages of herbal teas and their potential to lessen blood-related disorders ³.  A traditional Ayurvedic preparation, herbal natural tea is made using brahmi, shankhpushpi, dalchini, mulethi, kali mirch, arjuna, sauth, doda, tulsi, and lal Chandan. is a solid dose form of a well-known polyherbal preparation.

Table no 1: health benefits and reported pharmacological effects of ingredients used in the preparationof ayurvedic herbal tea.

1. MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The raw herbal plant material used in the formulation were brahmi, shankhpushpi, dalchini, mulethi, kali mirch, arjuna, sauth, doda, tulsi and lal Chandan. All the ingredients were collected from a local herbal drug store and authenticated based on their morphological characteristics.

2. CHEMICALS, REAGENTS AND INSTRUMENTS:

All the reagents and chemicals used in the study were of analytical grade and procured from commercial chemical suppliers. All solvents used were of analytical or HPLC grade.

3. COLLECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF PLANT MATERIAL:

All the ingredients were purchaged from local herbal drug store Etawah, U.P. Plant materials were taxonomically identified and authenticated by botanical expert (Figure 1). All the ingredients were washed, cleaned, cut into small pieces and dried under sunlight and powdered using a grinding mill. The produced powder was preserved in airtight containers for further study.

Figure:1. Herbal ingredients used in the preparation of herbal tea. a) brahmi, b) arjuna bark c)doda d) lal Chandan e)mulethi f) kali mirch g) sauth h) shankhpushpi i) dalchini j) tulsi

4. METHOD OF PREPARATION:

Each herb was individually ground into a powder using a mechanical grinder once it had completely dried. To create a fine powder, the powdered ingredients were run through a sieve (No. 80). To guarantee uniform distribution, each powder was precisely weighed in accordance with the necessary quantity and properly blended using the geometric dilution method (Table 2). To avoid moisture contamination, the prepared herbal tea was kept in an airtight container.

Table no 2: List of ingredients used for the preparation of herbal tea.

Figure 2. Herbal tea mixture and decoction of herbal tea

5. EVALUATION OF HERBAL TEA

6.1 Organoleptic evaluation

This test helps make sure the taste, aroma, and appearance of the herbal tea appeal to consumers.

6.2 pH Level

The pH level is an important indicator of the acidity or alkalinity of the tea, which can influence both its flavor and the stability of its bioactive compounds. A pH meter was used to directly measure the pH of the herbal tea. The pH value is recorded 7 for the herbal tea.

6.3 Stability Testing of Herbal Tea:

 Stability testing is performed to check how long herbal tea remains safe, effective, and good in quality under different storage conditions over time. It helps to ensure that the herbal tea does not lose its color, flavor, aroma, or active ingredients before the expiry date. For herbal tea, stability testing is usually done under controlled conditions  such as normal room temperature, refrigerated temperature, and elevated temperature and changes are monitored at specific time intervals ¹⁴.

6.4 Moisture Content

The minimum moisture content prevents decomposition of crude drugs either due to microbial contamination or chemical changes. The moisture content of the powdered medication was measured using a hot air oven. Ten grams of precisely weighed medication were put into a previously weighed china dish, reweighed (Wd = 59.88 grams), heated in a hot air oven between 100 and 105 degrees Celsius for thirty minutes, and then collected in a desiccator until a constant weight was reached (Wf = 59.41 grams).The weight loss was computed using the provided formula ¹⁵.

% LOD =W_d - W_f X100W

W = Weight of sample

W_d = Weight of china dish + sample (before drying)

W_f = Weight of china dish + sample (after drying)

7. Extractive Values:

Extractive values of crude drugs were determined according to well reported methods ¹⁶.

7.1 Alcohol Soluble Extractive Value

Five grams of air-dried and coarsely powdered drug was macerated with 100 ml of 70% ethanol in a closed conical flask for 24 hours, shaken frequently during the first 6 hours, and allowed to stand for 18 hours. This was filtered rapidly through Whatman filter paper. 25 ml of the filtrate was transferred into pre weighed petri dish (95.50gm) evaporated to dryness and reweighed (95.80gm). Percentage of alcohol soluble extractive was calculated with reference to air-dried drug.

Weight of residue = Weight of petri dish after evaporation- Weight of empty petri dish

                                     % Yield = Weight of residue/ Weight of sample × 100

7.2 Ether Soluble Extractive Value

Five grams of air-dried and coarsely powdered drug was macerated with 100 ml of petroleum ether in a closed conical flask for 24 hours, shaken frequently during the first 6 hours, and allowed to stand for 18 hours. 25 ml of the filtrate was transferred into pre weighed petri dish (95.50gm) evaporated to dryness and reweighed (95.55gm). Percentage of ether soluble extractive was calculated with reference to air-dried drug.

Weight of residue = Weight of petri dish after evaporation- Weight of empty petri dish

                                     % Yield = Weight of residue/ Weight of sample × 100

7.3 Acetone Soluble Extractive Value

Five grams of air-dried and coarsely powdered drug was macerated with 100 ml of acetone in a closed conical flask for 24 hours, shaken frequently during the first 6 hours, and allowed to stand for 18 hours. 25 ml of the filtrate was transferred into pre weighed petri dish (95.49 gm) evaporated to dryness and reweighed (95.57gm).Percentage of acetone soluble extractive was calculated with reference to air-dried drug.

Weight of residue = Weight of petri dish after evaporation- Weight of empty petri dish

                                     % Yield = Weight of residue/ Weight of sample × 100

7.4 Water Soluble Extractive Value

Five grams of coarsely powdered air-dried drug was macerated with 100 ml of water in closed conical flask for 24 hours, shaken frequently for the first 6 hours and allowed to stand for 18 hours. This was filtered through Whatman filter paper. 25 ml of the filtrate was transferred into pre weighed petri dish (96.53gm) evaporated to dryness in petri dish and reweighed (97.65gm). Percentage of water soluble extractive with reference to air-dried material was calculated as per given formula.

Weight of residue = Weight of petri dish after evaporation- Weight of empty petri dish

                                     % Yield = Weight of residue/ Weight of sample× 100

7.5 Phytochemical analysis

Studies on phytochemistry show the presence of bioactive compounds with physiological and therapeutic properties. The primary groups of chemicals, including alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, fixed oils, tannins, and terpenoids, were identified through confirmatory qualitative phytochemical screening of herbal tea using a conventional screening assay ¹⁷.

8. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

In this study, specific medicinal herbs with well-known health-promoting qualities were used to make herbal tea. Taste, scent, and medicinal benefit were all intended to be combined in the composition. The finished tea mixture was evaluated using a number of criteria after the herbal ingredients were properly dried, ground, and blended. The outcomes are listed below.

8.1 Organoleptic evaluation

The prepared herbal tea was coarse powder, light to dark brown in color with aromatic odor and sweet in taste.

8.2 pH Test

To find out if the tea is too acidic or too basic. A neutral or slightly acidic pH is considered safe for drinking.

8.3 Solubility Test

To check how well the herbal powder dissolves in hot water.

Table no 3: Organoleptic evaluation of prepared herbal tea

8.4 Physicochemical and Phytochemical Analysis

Various physicochemical parameters of the powered herbal tea were investigated (Table). The moisture content of drugs may be prone to microbial growth; however, it might be present at lowest level to reduce the growth of fungi, yeast, and bacteria on storage. The ash value of herbal tea powder is reported in Table. It indicates the presence of oxalate, carbonate, and silicate impurities. The acid insoluble ash contains silica as impurity of earthy material. The amount of inorganic elements can be estimated by water soluble ash determination.

Table 4: Ash values and Moisture content results of herbal tea

8.5 Extractive values

Calculating the solubility of chemical ingredients in a different solvent system and assessing and identifying the chemical components present in the crude medication can both be done with the help of the extractive values. Water had the highest extractive value, followed by pet ether, acetone, and alcohol. Alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, and steroids are examples of polar substances that have a high alcohol-soluble extractive value. Acids, sugars, and inorganic substances are indicated by a high water-soluble extractive value.

Table 5: Extractive values of herbal tea preparation

Table 6: Preliminary phytochemical analysis of herbal tea extract