IN-VITRO ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF GANDHAKA RASAYANA

Many herbo-mineral remedies individually or in combination have been recommended in various medical treatises for the cure of different diseases. Gandhaka Rasayana is a compound preparation, being used by Ayurvedic physicians in clinical practice for thousands of years, in the treatment of skin diseases of bacterial and fungal origin. So the drug is selected to study its anti-fungal effect on Candida albicans. Candidiasis is the most common mycotic disorder of the skin affecting the immune-compromised patients and those on the anti-biotic therapy. Hence the anti-candidal activity was examined in the study. For the study Broth Dilution method was adopted to study the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Contact Time (MCT) of the Gandhaka Rasayana, following NCCLS guidelines. Results: Gandhaka rasayana showed antifungal effect against Candida albicans with Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 5.00mg/ml of Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) Broth and Minimum Contact Time (MCT) above one hour.