Effect of variation in concentration of water and plant part used on physicochemical properties of Yavakṣāra

Introduction: Kṣāra Kalpanā (Ayurvedic alkali formulation) mainly deals with extraction of alkaline material from herb, animals and minerals. Kṣāra preparation mainly has variation in the concentration of Water used for extraction. Objective: To assess the effect of variation in concentration of water and plant part used on the physicochemical parameters of Yavakṣāra (YK). Materials and Methods: YK was prepared by using whole plant with seeds and without seeds. Further these batches were divided depend upon of 4, 6 and 8 times of concentration of water used for extraction. YK was analyzed by using the XRD, AAS-ICP and FTIR. Results: All samples contain Halite crystals of NaCl and Sylvine crystals of KCl. Halite and Sylvine crystals generally formed due to evaporation which is main step in the preparation of Kṣāra Kalpanā. Crystal size of NaCl and KCl is near to nanoparticles (in the range between 90 to 135 nm). YK contains other elements like Fe, Mg and Ca in small amount with slight variance in quantity in different batches. FTIR shows presence of same functional group (C-H of (Alkyl) amines) in all samples of YK. Absences (Pb, As) or traces (Hg) of heavy metal indicate care taken during harvesting and manufacturing. Conclusion: Slight variation is seen in the elements, their concentration and functional group in different batches of YK. Variation in the concentration of water alters the frequency of filtration and affect the period of sedimentation. A batch prepared with less concentration of water (4 times) and without seeds seems to be cost effective.