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Introduction: Shodhana, or purification, is a fundamental concept in Rasa Shastra, an important branch of Ayurveda that deals with the therapeutic application of metals, minerals, and herbo-mineral formulations. The process is intended to detoxify raw materials, enhance their bioavailability, and render them therapeutically safe. Modern science increasingly seeks to understand the rationale of these traditional methods.Methods: A structured literature review was performed using Ayurvedic classics (Rasatarangini, Rasa Ratna Samuccaya, Ayurveda Prakasha), PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Keywords such as “Shodhana,” “Ayurveda purification,” “metal detoxification,” and “Bhasma safety” were used. Studies included described either traditional methods of Shodhana or modern analytical evaluations of purified products. Non-authentic or anecdotal sources were excluded.Results: Traditional Shodhana involves physical and chemical methods such as heating, quenching, triturating with herbal juices, or treating with cow’s urine, milk, and decoctions. These methods reduce particle size, remove surface impurities, and introduce organic moieties that improve biocompatibility. Modern studies using techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) confirm that Shodhana changes the crystalline structure, decreases toxicity, and enhances assimilation. Examples include reduction in free mercury content in Rasasindura and conversion of iron into bioavailable oxides in Lauha Bhasma.Discussion: Shodhana is not merely a ritual but a pharmaceutically relevant process with scientific justification. However, gaps remain in standardization, reproducibility, and large-scale toxicological validation.Conclusion: Integrating Ayurvedic principles of Shodhana with modern analytical science may help establish globally acceptable standards for herbo-mineral preparations, ensuring safety, efficacy, and wider recognition.

KEYWORDS: Ayurveda, Bhasma, Metals, Purification, Shodhana