Ayurvedic Medicine

We recorded ESR spectra of several herbal pills made from various Ayurvedic herbs as well as spectra of a dry herb itself. We found spectra very informative. A number of lines can be assigned to different inorganic constituents such as multiple coordination states of iron, manganese and copper. Their content is different from sample to sample and can be quantified by ESR. Most interestingly, the sharp line of the organic radical in the dry plant is unique and different from common plants (see figure). While most free organic radicals in dry plants are usually located on different organic molecules and give an unresolved superposition signal, the clear ESR splitting pattern for the ayurvedic plant likely indicated that the radical is associated with a specific organic constituent of the plant, most likely some sugar molecule. This finding is being further investigated with application in quality control and improving conditions for the production of the plant and converting it into medicine.