Development and Evaluation of a Chocolate Based Dosage Form Containing Shankha Bhasma

Osteoporosis is a rising threat for wide-reaching inhabitants, to treat this calcium supplements are suggested but available option of calcium supplements are not satisfying the need of the therapies, nor the patients’ acceptability. To explore traditional system of medicine in osteoporosis, concept of bhasma was opted for the study. Preparing bhasma with traditional method is a stepwise and complex process, hence to check any alteration is possible or not; preparing bhasma in electrical muffle furnace is tried out. Prepared bhasmas were evaluated by different parameters (varna, varitara, rekhapurana, nischandra) mentioned in Ayurveda literature and few modern parameters (ash value, pH, LOD, NPST, XRD, particle size, calcium content).  These evaluation parameters give a scientific background to bhasma as nanomedicine that could be better absorbed in the body. To overcome the problem related to organoleptic properties (taste, appearance), delivering bhasma in chocolate base was attempted and this chocolate dosage form were evaluated by for its patients’ acceptability. Findings of the study reveals that chocolate could serve as a patient friendly dosage form to deliver bhasma as a source of calcium.