Abstract:
Background and Objective. Tamalakyadi decoction (TD) is a classical formulation mentioned in authentic traditional medicine text
Sarasankshepaya under nasal diseases and used as a remedy for allergic rhinitis. It consists of 12 plant ingredients. Decoction
preparations are widely used in Sri Lankan traditional system and considered effective and safe for treating many disorders.
However, decoctions have to be used only in fresh state due to shorter shelf life and loss of stability. This decoction preparation
method leads to decreasing the patient compliance and is also time consuming. Hence, the objective of the present study was to
convert TD to consumer friendly novel dosage form, namely, freeze dried, spray dried, and traditional ganasara forms. Methodology.
Therefore, we compared the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of TD with its modified dosage forms. The
chemical comparison of four dosage forms comprises phytochemical screening, TLC and HPTLC fingerprint profiles and the
antioxidant activities by DPPH free radical scavenging activity, Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total polyphenol content
(TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). Results. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins,
steroids, flavonoids, phenols, and terpenoids in all dosage forms. However, the saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and
steroids were more prominent in TD and freeze dried preparation than the other two preparations. HPTLC fingerprint pattern
of freeze dried dosage was more similar with HPTLC fingerprint pattern of TD in terms of number of peaks and their intensity
compared to that of spray dried and ganasara dosage forms. Antioxidant activities such as DPPH, FRAP, TPC, and TFC were higher
in decoction and freeze dried preparation than in spray dried and ganasara preparation. Conclusion. Freeze dried TD is the most
suitable ready to use preparation having similar chemical properties and antioxidant activities to TD
