Become A Member

Background: Classical Ayurvedic formulations are complex mixtures of many ingredients, often transformed by processing. Single-marker tests cannot capture this complexity, and chromatographic fingerprinting has become the main tool for establishing identity, consistency and authenticity. Objective: To map how high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and related techniques have been applied to classical Ayurvedic formulations, and to identify methodological gaps. Methods: A structured narrative review following scoping principles, charting published fingerprinting and marker-quantification studies by dosage form, technique, markers and validation. Results: HPTLC is the most widely used technique, applied to churna, vati, ghrita and kwatha for both fingerprinting and validated quantification of markers such as gallic acid, piperine and bacosides. HPLC and UPLC-QToF-MS methods have been used for arishta, kwatha and tablets, and GC-MS has documented the formation and loss of compounds during fermentation. Studies of marketed products show large variation, for example bacoside A from about 4% to 32% w/w across four brands of a Brahmi product. Gaps include frequent tentative peak assignment without reference standards, limited method validation, lack of acceptance criteria for fingerprints, and little linkage between chemical profiles and biological activity. Conclusion: Fingerprinting is now feasible for most classical formulations. Validated methods, reference standards, defined acceptance criteria and activity-linked markers are needed for fingerprints to become regulatory specifications.