AYASKRITI: A CRITICAL SCHOLARLY REVIEW OF CLASSICAL IRON PREPARATIONS IN AYURVEDA WITH CONTEMPORARY BIOMEDICAL CORRELATIONS

Ayurveda, the ancient system of Indian medicine, encompasses a sophisticated pharmacopoeia that integrates both botanical and mineral-metallic therapeutics. Among these, preparations derived from Loha dhatu (iron) occupy a distinctive position by virtue of their elaborate processing methodology and expansive clinical applicability. 'Ayaskriti' represents a paradigmatic class of iron-based pharmaceutical formulations whose preparatory procedures, as codified in the Brihattrayi — the Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Sangraha — embody a systematic, multi-step processing protocol that achieves the bioavailability transformation of elemental iron into therapeutically viable forms.[12] The classical texts delineate three distinct pharmaceutical forms of Ayaskriti: Churna (fine powder), Avleha (medicated electuary), and Sandhan (fermented syrup) — each possessing a unique pharmacokinetic profile, dosage paradigm, and therapeutic domain.[23] This critical review synthesises the classical preparatory methodologies with their modern biomedical equivalents, illuminating the mechanistic rationale underlying the processing steps and proposing contemporary disease correlations for evidence-informed clinical application.