1) Trituration is the dilution of a potent drug powder with lactose to create a definite proportion that allows for an accurate aliquot dose. 2) There are different scales used - decimal, centesimal, and quinquagintimillesimal - each with their own dilution ratio and process. 3) Performing trituration requires specific equipment, ingredients, and conditions to ensure accuracy and potency of the diluted drug.

2. Trituration is a dilution of a potent drug powder with an inert
diluent powder, usually lactose, in a definite proportion by
weight. We can then remove a weighable portion (aliquot) of
the mixture containing the desired quantity of substance to
maintain an acceptable range of accuracy.
There are the following scales are in use, given below:
 Decimal Scale
 Centesimal Scale
 Quinquagintimillesimal
There are different requirement and conditions to perform
this process.
Trituration

3. Requirements include:
1. Clean unglazed Mortor
2. Clean unglazed pestle
3. Clean horn spatula
4. Necessary amount of curde drug
5. Milk sugar (Lactose)
6. A stop watch
7. Clean phial of required size
Requirements

4. 8. Freshly marked new velvet cork
9. Label paper, a scissor and paste

5. There are following conditions which are needed to be fulfilled.
1. The room must be clean,of moderate temperature and dust
proof.
2. Mortar and pestle should be cleaned properly with alcohol and air
dried.
3. After trituration utensil should be cleaned and dried.
Use small amount of alcohol during trituration for moistening milk
sugar,as it saves the trouble of scrapping and stirring. Why lactose is
used in trituration?
Lactose is the most commonly used diluent in solid dosage form
pharmaceuticals such as powders, tablets and capsules. Some of the
reasons included its extremely low incidence of side effects, ready
availability, and low cost.
Conditions

6. It’s the first scale to be discovered by Hahnemann in his early
years of homeopathy. As its name would suggest, it has a 1:100
dilution ratio and it is prepared in the following manner:
Proecess:
Step 1: One part of the mother tincture is diluted in 99 parts of
a water and alcohol mixture.
Step 2: This liquid is then succussed 10 times in its bottle by
firmly hitting the bottle’s base
Centesimal Scale

7. against a firm but resistive surface such as the palm of a hand
or a leather covered book. The resulting liquid is called a 1C
potency, “1” referring to its first stage of dilution and the
Roman numeral, “C”, referring to its 1:100 dilution ratio.
Step 3: One part of this 1C potency is again diluted and
succussed in 99 parts of a water and alcohol mixture to
produce a 2C remedy.
Step 4: This serial process of dilution and succussion, called
potentisation, is further repeated to produce increasingly
higher potencies of the remedy

8. Principal:
for making the 1st potency, triturate one part by weight
of crude drug with 9 parts of lactose for 1hr.All the
following potencies are made by taking 1 part of the
preceding potency by 9 parts of lactose.
Process:
The process of the trituration is done in 3 main stages;
and total quantity of lactose is divided in three equal
parts.
Decimal Scale

9. First stage:
 1 part crude drug and 3 parts of lactose are taken in a mortar
and mixed with a spatula.Then the mixture is thoroughly
triturated for 6 minutes.
 Next cleanly scrap the particles adhering to walls of the
mortar and pestle for 3 mints.
 Next mix the triturated mass for 1 mint.
This takes 10 mints.(rubbing,scrapping and mixing 6+3+1=10).
Second stage:
 In this stage, 3 parts by weight of lactose ,is added to above
triturated mixture.
 The same process of triturating,scrapping and mixing is
repeated thus 2nd stage is completed in 20 mints.

10. Third Stage:
 The same process carried in 1st stage ,are repeated in this
case.so, the process is completed in 20 mints.
 Similarly 3rd stage is also completed in 20 mints.Thus the
whole process of trituration is completed in 1hr.
Using ratio and proportion, we can determine the weight of
drug and lactose required to make the trituration as well as
the weight of the aliquot to be used to fill the prescription.
Formula:

11. Merits of Trituration
 It is a cumbersome process with
low productivity, especially the old
method.
 Substances like hard metal may
often create difficulty in inter-
mixing and inter-changing.
 Substances like mercurial
compound may reduce the
potentiality during trituration as
lactose has some amount of
aldehydic property but for all the
practical purpose this is not taken
in account.
Demerits of Trituration
 It raises the latent medicinal
properties of drugs.
 It ↑ the therapeutic potential and
curative values than crude form.
 it reduces the drugs particles to
the finest.
 The drugs insoluble in i:e alcohol or
water become soluble by
trituration.
 This process increases the surface
area and surface tension of a drug
enormously.
 Catalytic effects,colloidal
properties and absorptive
properties increases
proportionately with surface area.

13.  By Muhammad Hashim Rao