A method of medicine preparation in which herbal extracts are concentrated into tablet or pills form. They are made of one or more drugs of plant, animal or mineral origin. The plant ingredients are dried and made into fine powders, separately and ground to soft pastes before they are rolled in to pills. Sometimes minerals are also used as ingredients in such cases the mineral is converted to Bhasmas (calcined metallic compounds) and used as ingredients.
These are Ayurvedic tablets. They are becoming increasingly popular these days due to ease of storage & consumption. They are also called Gutika, Vataka, Vati or Bati.
Tablets are usually taken orally. Apart from oral dosage forms, drugs administered through other routes of administration such as per-rectal, per urethral, per vaginal, nasal etc.
Preparations meant for routes other than oral routes:
Basti – per rectal administration of medicated oils and emulsions.
Guda varti – per rectal insertion of suppository.
Uttar Basti – per-urethral, per-vaginal administration of medicated oils and emulsions.
Nasya Nasal – instillation and inhalations (nasal insufflations).
Aschyotana – eye drops.
Anjana – eye creams and ointments.
Karnapurana – ear drops.
Ksaara a sutra – surgical thread coated with caustic or acrid drug material.