MODERN DOSAGE FORMS FROM CLASSICAL KALPANAS (GRANULES, TABLETS, SYRUPS AND DRIED EXTRACTS): DOES CONVERSION PRESERVE QUALITY AND EFFICACY?
Background: Many classical Ayurvedic preparations, particularly kwatha (decoction) and avaleha (confection), are inconvenient, short-lived or unpalatable. Manufacturers increasingly convert them into granules, tablets (ghana vati), syrups, capsules and spray-dried powders. Whether these modern forms are equivalent to the classical preparation is rarely tested. Objective: To review the pharmaceutical rationale for converting classical kalpanas into modern dosage forms and the evidence on how conversion affects composition, stability and efficacy. Methods: A structured narrative review following scoping principles, covering standard manufacturing procedure studies, comparative pharmaceutico-analytical studies, stability studies and reviews of dosage-form modification. Results: Studies have developed granules, tablets, syrups and spray-dried powders from kwatha, avaleha and dried extracts, with acceptable pharmacopoeial parameters such as moisture, hardness and disintegration. Converting avaleha into granules has been studied as a way to improve shelf life, and industrial extraction with spray drying can give stable powders without preservatives. However, a comparison of freshly prepared and commercial Cirivilvadi kashaya found differences in specific phytochemical indicators, and only a minority of comparative studies measured marker compounds, dissolution or biological activity. No randomised clinical trial comparing a converted form with its classical counterpart was identified. Conclusion: Conversion can improve convenience and stability, but equivalence is assumed rather than demonstrated. A tiered equivalence framework, from marker profiles to dissolution and, where needed, clinical bridging, is proposed.