Antimicrobial potential of four mica drugs and their chemical and mineralogical properties.

Background: Mica drugs, a group of herbo-metallic traditional preparations comprising biotite mica as the major mineral ingredient, are prescribed for skin disorders and respiratory ailments and other chronic conditions in South Asian countries, particularly India and Sri Lanka. Mica-based drugs (Abhrak drugs) are subjected to unique and varied preparation procedures and the bioactivity of the drugs can be affected by drug-processing conditions, the ingredients used and the mica composition. The current study aimed to evaluate and compare, on the basis of their physical and chemical characteristics, the antimicrobial potential of two commercial mica drugs AbBb (Abhrak bhashma) and AbCh (Abhrak Chenhuram) and two mica drugs ABL1 (Abhrak Bhasma Laboratory Prepared 1) and ABL2 (Abhrak Bhasma Laboratory Prepared 2) prepared in the laboratory under different conditions.

Characterization of biotite drugs used in traditional medicine.

Temperature-induced mineral alterations are extensively used in traditional pharmaceutical industry. Studies on the traditional heating methods for enhancing pharmaceutical properties and on the toxicity of mineral-based medicines are limited. This study focuses on the effect of thermal alterations on mineralogical and chemical changes of biotite with respect to two traditional drugs (Abhrak Bhasma and Abhrak Chendhuram).