Safety assessment on chronic administration of Swarna Bindu Prashan— a popular ayurvedic preparation of incinerated gold ash used as immune booster to children in southern India

Abstract

Swarna Bindu Prashan (SBP) is an Ayurvedic proprietary preparation of incinerated gold ash (Swarna Bhasma) administered frequently with ghee and honey to children as immune booster in southern-India. In this study, we assessed the safety parameters of SBP and its vehicle’s effect on chronic administration. The groups of Wistar strain male albino rats were identified as control, vehicle group of ghee, honey and both ghee-honey and group of SBP, respectively. In SBP group, Swarna Bhasma was administered in dose of 5.625 mg/ kg body wt. alongwith 0.4 mL of each ghee and honey. Vehicles group also received same dose of 0.4 mL/kg of each substance in graded quantities by oral route for 90 days. During the course of study, no mortality and no significant behavioral changes were noticed in any group studied. The effect on food and water consumption and fecal and urine output remained unaffected. No major alterations were observed in hematology and serum biochemistry. Histopathology of vital organs also supported the nontoxic effect of SBP. It is concluded that the chronic use of SBP is safe and non-toxic at this tested dose level when compared to other vehicle groups. © 2017, National Institute of Science Communication. All rights reserved.