Abstract

“TO DETERMINE THE SHELF LIFE OF KANJI”

*Dr. Jyoti Sherawat

Abstract

Kanji i.e sour gruel is an important formulation in Rasashastra and Bhaishajyakalpana. It is widely used in different manufacturing processes, especially for shodhana of different Ras dravyas as well as in Astha-sanskaras of Parada. The therapeutic importance of Kanji is also well explained by ancient Indian physicians. Sushruta Acharya’s advice Kanji in treatment of Grahani, Arsha, Shula e.t.c. whereas Charakacharayas advised it in a treatment of Jwara, Vibhandha and so on. Thus preparation and therapeutical indication of Kanji are well explained in Ayurvedic texts. However, no information is available regarding the siddhi lakshanas (standardization test) and saviryata avdhai i.e Shelf life of Kanji. Kanji is a perishable product. It cannot be stored for a long time. It requires near about 8-10 days for the preparation of Kanji. When patient comes to us; we can’t ask them to wait till the preparation of Kanji. As Kanji is not available when needed, it is being lost from general clinical practice. In Ayurvedic Formulary of India part I and part II which is published by Dept. of AYUSH, Govt. of India, in which standard parameter for Aasava and Arishta are described. However standard parameter to access the quality of Kanji are not mentioned. Hence we need to determine standard parameters to access the quality and shelf life of Kanji. Prof. Dr. Wadodkar and Dr. Prashantshastri Bhokardankar in the year 2002-2005 carried out research work on the standardisation of Kanji. There are different formulations for the preparation of Kanji, however in this study they had used the formulations explained by Acharya Yadavji Trikamji because it is very simple and widely used for the preparation of Kanji. In the previous study physico-chemical parameters like pH, percent acidity value, refractive index, turbidity and microbial load were used for standardization of Kanji. The same parameters were used in the present study. The method of preparation of kanji was also the same as previous study. In the present study it is observed that well prepared Kanji can retain its qualities up to 3 months without any extra precautions like refrigeration or adding preservatives.

Keywords: Rasashastra, Shelf life of Kanji, Grahani, Arsha, Shula.