Ayurvedic Medicine

Guggul - an oleo-resin gum of immense medicinal value is tapped from a bushy shrub Commiphora wightii (Arnott) Bhandari distributed in semi-arid and rocky regions in Indian sub continent. C. wightii is an IUCN data deficient plant. Increase in the annual demand of guggul gum to the tune of 1000 metric ton, there is an increase in destructive tapping of C. wightii, which is a serious concern. Generally guggul gum from the site of its tapping to the site of processing or value addition being distantly far off, improper post harvest handling, storage and transport results in qualitative loss of its crucial bio-active compounds. Among the four containers (earthen clay pot, plastic jar, polythene bag and jute bag) evaluated for long term storage of guggul the earthen clay pot was the best in terms of Total Guggulsterone (TG) content. In earthen clay pot the TG of guggul gum was maintained over 1% for four months while Total Volatile Oils (TVO) 1% for nine months. In jute bag TG rapidly d...

Amalaki Rasayana (AR) is a common Ayurvedic herbal formulation of Phyllanthus emblica fruits and other ingredients and is used for general good health and healthy aging. We earlier reported it to improve life history traits and to suppress neurodegeneration as well as induced apoptosis in Drosophila. Aim of the study To examine effects of dietary AR supplement on cell stress responses in Drosophila melanogaster. Materials and methods Larvae/flies, reared on normal food or on that supplemented with 0.5% (w/v) AR, were exposed to crowding, thermal or oxidative stress and examined for survival, stress tolerance and levels of lipid peroxides, SOD and HSPs. Results Wild type larvae/flies reared on AR supplemented food survived the various cell stresses much better than those reared on normal food. AR-fed mutant park-13 or DJ-1beta-delta93 (Parkinsons disease model) larvae, however, showed only partial or no protection, respectively, against paraquat-induced oxidative stress, indicating e...

Background: Children of residential homes (RH) have a high rate of health problems including malnutrition.Ayurveda has several drugs to alleviate malnutrition, Ashwagandhadi being one of the most commonly used drug. This study evaluated the changes in nutritional status of children in RH consuming Ashwagandhadi churna (AC) for 1-3 years. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive record review study of children consuming AC regularly for 1-3 years of two RH of Tamilnadu during 2018-2019. The children of age 6-9 and 10-13 years received a dosage of 2 and 4g of AC respectively in milk once a day. Socio-demographic details, anthropometric measurements and clinical details were assessed. Data at three time points with an interval of three months were extracted and analysed using Friedman’s tests. Important observations and Results: Out of 289 children, 173, who had complete details of three assessments, were included for analysis. Irrespective of the years of consumption of AC, at th...

Calotropis procera (Asclepiadaceae) is a well known plant in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Based on its traditional use this plant was selected for evaluation of its wound healing potential. For this purpose four full thickness excisional wounds of 8.0 mm diameter were inflicted on the back of guinea pigs. Topical application of 20 μl of 1.0% sterile solution of the latex of C. procera twice daily was followed for 7 days. The latex significantly augmented the healing process by markedly increasing collagen, DNA and protein synthesis and epithelisation leading to reduction in wound area. Thus the present study provides a scientific rationale for the traditional use of this plant in the management of wound healing.

Plumbago zeylanica L. (Pz) is one of the most important medicinal plant belonging to the family Plumbaginaceae. It is a perennial shrub, growing throughout India and most places of Sri Lanka. It contains various bioactive compounds like alkaloids, flavonoids, naphthoquinones, glycoside, saponins, steroids, tri-terpenoids, coumarins, phenolic compounds etc. Of all the chemical constituents, plumbagin is the principal active compound. Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1, 4-naphthoquinone-C11H8O3) is primarily present in roots in higher amounts with only about 1% in the whole plant. The literature reveals that the root and root bark have a wider claim in traditional medicines a gainst various diseases as a memory enhancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, wound healing, anti-malarial, anti-infertility, anticancer, blood coagulation, and anti-oxidant activities. The present study aims to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of this plant.

More than 80% of the population of Asian and African countries depends on traditional medicine for primary health care. Local knowledge is becoming increasingly importance in Primary health care system in Sikkim for its geographical habitat and medicinal plants potential.  The paper deals with 23 species of medicinal plants, which are arranged alphabetically. In enumeration, the details include correct botanical names with authority, family to which it belongs, local names, followed by parts used and names of diseases. The studied 23 medicinal plants have been used in 33 common diseases which require primary health care in Sikkim. This study also found the traditional healers are act as health care actors for treating arthritis, fracture, jaundice, diarrhea and respiratory diseases of children with other persistence, long lasting chronic health conditions.

The corona virus Covid-19 pandemic is the defining ongoing global health crisis situation. In Ayurveda communicable and epidemic diseases are described as Aupasargika Rogas -infectious or contagious and Janopadhvansa- pandemics respectively. The aim of this study is to review medicinal plants acting on Pranavaha Srotas and Rasavaha Srotas along with their action on signs and symptoms correlated with Covid 19. Extensive compilation and tabulation of medicinal plants is done by literary search of Brihat-trayee and their pharmacological actions from research databases. A total of 26 different medicinal plants have been enlisted. Analysis of these plants has been made as per Rasa, Anurasa, Vipaka, Veerya, Gunas and Karmas. Pharmacological actions are analyzed. Review reveals huge potential of many medicinal plants which can be used in this Covid-19 pandemic situation. This review evaluated the importance of medicinal plants described in Ayurveda literatures which can be used in the mana...

Euphorbiaceae is the family of Euphordia hirta. It is istributed throughout the indo-pak subcontinent, often found in waste places along the roadsides. The plant parts are widely used in traditional system of medicines, in the treatment of respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, wound healing, pulmonary disorders, urinogenital disorders, tumors, lactation in women etc. The plant has also been used as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumour, antidiabetic and free radical scavenging, anti allergic, analgesic and antianaphylactic, antioxytic, sedative, antiarthritic, antidiarrhoeal, spasmogenic, antithrombocytopenic, diuretic, GI tract, burn wound healing, immune stimulatory, sperm motility, genotoxic, synergic, antiviral, antihelmentic, immunoprohylatic, antimalarial, antimicrobial, herbicidal, antimolluscidal, larvicidal property and so on. In this report we explore investigations related to taxonomy, monographs, distribution, morphology, phytochemistry, traditional uses and pharmacological uses of the plant.

Objective: The main objective of present study is to treat Alopecia. Alopecia areata is an unpredictable hair-loss condition. Alopecia is a dermatological disorder with psychosocial implications on patients with hair loss. Herbal systems of medicine have become increasingly popular in recent years. Medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of hair diseases since antiquity. Herbs such as turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, Cyperus (Nagarmotha), and holy basil are integral parts of ayurvedic formulations. Cyperus rotundus is a well-known ayurvedic herb with purported claims of hair growth promotion. Methods: Extracts are prepared by separating the soluble matter from vegetable tissues by the application of a suitable solvent such as alcohol, water, or ether. The resultant liquid is concentrated by evaporation to obtain a liquid extract or concentrated almost to dryness to obtain the solid extract and its volatile oil. Hair formulation of C. rotundus belonging to family Cyperaceae in the form of herbal formulation (5% herbal cream and oil) was studied and it showed excellent hair growth activity with standard (2% minoxidil ethanolic solution) in Wister albino rats. Results: Hair growth initiation time was significantly reduced to half on treatment with the oil, as compared to control animals. The hair growth-promoting effect was evaluated against the control, standard, and test animals at 0, 10, 15, and 20 days with the formulated hair oil and hair cream prepared from the volatile oil extracted from the C. rotundus and the significant hair growth was observed, and the growth was compared with the standard drug used 2% solution of minoxidil. Conclusion: The results of treatment with oil were better than the positive control minoxidil 2% treatment. It holds the promise of potent herbal alternative for minoxidil.

Adhatoda vasica (L.) Nees is a well-known plant drug in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine. It has been used for the treatment of various diseases and disorders, particularly for the respiratory tract ailments. During the last 20 years, several scientific reports on oxytocic and abortifacient effects of vasicine and alkaloid derived from the plant have appeared. This leads to questions concerning the safety of A. vasica as a herbal medicine. In this article, the major data on traditional uses as well as ethnopharmacological and toxicological studies, both published and unpublished, are reviewed and commented upon. The data have been evaluated from the point of view of correctness, reliability, relevance and importance for the overall evaluation of the safety of A. vasica.

The therapeutic attributes of Ayurvedic classical dosage forms asavas-arishta, the liquid dosage forms based on self-generated alcohol with their quicker absorption, long shelf life and better compliance with consumers have led to continuous increase in its demand. Many Ayurvedic production units appear to have adopted newer fermentation techniques and manufacturing technologies. These innovations in production, processing and storage underline the importance of the standardization of such products. It is therefore of interest to review the present status of production and standardization of this dosage form in terms of the process and quality and efficacy of the end product. Apart from an attempt to provide quality and standardization parameters, the review provides an analysis and deliberates on significance of changes made to the traditional methods of preparation, ingredients and material used in the process and possible impact on its effectiveness.

In medieval China, massage or anmo (literally, " pressing and rubbing ") was catalogued among a kind of stretching exercise called daoyin (literally, " guiding and pulling "), which is sometimes referred to in modern times as Chinese yoga. Guiding and pulling was a broad term, referring to a host of stretching exercises, sometimes quite vigorous and dynamic in tempo, or sometimes simple meditative breathing practices to circulate the breath, or qi, around the body. Chinese sources from this period predominantly do not refer to massaging other people, but to self-massage and stretching exercises contiguous with breathing and visualization practices. A simple, practicable technique that was easy to perform, massage required no special training or technical materials. Massage practices were more accessible to the wider public than theory-bound medical arts, and circulated among a broad repertoire of methods for nourishing vitality that enabled simple self-treatment. Massage treatments for specific ailments appear as early as the second century BCE, in the Writings on Pulling. This text was excavated from a tomb in Mawangdui (in modern-day Hunan Province) which also contained the Guiding and Pulling Chart, a color chart portraying 44 different exercises. Daoyin exercises later appear in Chinese medical literature, in biographies of transcendents, Buddhist texts, and in nourishing vitality texts favoured by the elite as well as by debaters and intellectuals of the early medieval " Mystery School " philosophical movement. The eighteen exercises translated here are given the titles " Massage techniques from India " and " Brahmanic techniques " when they first appear, in the medical encyclopedia, Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold. Widely recognized as one of the major medical works of the Tang dynasty, by the fifteenth century it also came to be included in the Daoist Canon among other major medical works. Compiled by the polymath Sun Simiao (541/581-682), and submitted to the Tang court in 652, this work displays the great influence of Indian medical ideas, from Four Element theory, to a compassion-based medical ethics, to numerous foreign drugs and treatment methods. Sun's wide-ranging repertoire further includes local Chinese drug recipes, acupuncture and moxibustion formulas, meditation and incantations, and stretching and breathing exercises, as well as sexual cultivation. All eighteen passages from Sun's text are quoted in Tanba no Yasunori's Recipes at the Heart of Medicine, completed in 984. My endnotes below reflect variances between this version and Sun's original. Twelve of these exercises also appear elsewhere under another title, " Brahmanic Guiding and Pulling " in a text which records various other nourishing vitality methods, including guiding and pulling, breathing techniques, geomancy, and lucky days. These twelve exercises are quoted yet again in a text attributed to the name Daolin. It is unclear whether this refers to the stylename of the historical Buddhist monk Zhi Dun (314–366 CE), as has been suggested, given that this text is primarily a sex manual and Buddhist monks in China were usually supposed to be celibate.

Constant exposure to various stressors, such as immune pressure, rapidly increasing population, deleterious changes in the ecosystem, climate change, infection with emerging and re-emerging pathogens, and fast-paced lifestyle, is a critical factor in the globally increasing incidences of immunocompromising health conditions, as well as stress. Synthetic chemotherapeutic agents, which are widely available in the commercial market, may be highly efficacious, but most are immunosuppressive and exert many side effects. Undoubtedly, the pivotal characteristics of immunostimulants and immunomodulators in the maintenance of the health and productivity of humans, as well as animals, cannot be overlooked. Numerous herbs used in ethnoveterinary medicine can be successfully employed as adjuvant rehabilitators to negate the deleterious effects of chemotherapeutics. The sources of these medicinal remedies are part of long traditions in different regions of the world, such as Indian Ayurveda and ...

The standardization of Ayurvedic classical dosage forms has been an area of academic, research, industrial and regulatory interests.  It is crucial to understand the basic principles and rationality of these dosage forms for their therapeutic relevance while adapting to newer technologies for its right pharmaceutical and clinical use. Kwatha Kalpana -frequently referred to as decoctions - aqueous extraction of a group of herbs, is one of the most commonly used classical dosage forms where the therapeutic attributes are extracted from the group of botanicals into water, with the use of heat. Though clinically effective, it is seldom used due to the cumbersome preparatory method, short shelf life and poor palatability. This elaborate review covers historical and basic concepts of the dosage form, its salient features, nuances of classical preparations, traditional and newly developed methods of preparations. This paper covers intricate classical information and specifics about Kwatha,...

Andrographis paniculata is a herbaceous plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to India and Sri
Lanka.
It is widely cultivated in southern Asia, where it is used to treat infections and some diseases, often
being used before antibiotics were created. Mostly the leaves and roots were used for medicinal
purposes.
Scientists have studied this herb for nearly thirty years.
Andrographis paniculata, the Kalmegh of Ayurveda is an erect annual herb extremely bitter in taste
in each and every part of the plant body. The plant is known in north-eastern India as ‘Maha-tita’,
literally ‘king of bitters’ and known by various vernacular names (Table below). It is also known as
‘Bhui-neem’, since the plant, though much smaller in size, shows similar appearance and has bitter
taste as that of Neem (Azadirachta indica). In Malaysia, it is known as 'Hempedu Bumi' literally
means 'bile of earth' since it is one of the most bitter plant that are used in traditional medicine. In
Tamil it is called as 'Sirunangai' or 'Siriyanangai'. The genus Andrographis consists of 28 species of
small annual shrubs essentially distributed in tropical Asia. Only a few species are medicinal, of
which A. paniculata is the most popular.

A revised, shorter version of this article was published as "Krankheitsprävention im Ayurveda: Pragmatisches Recycling und historische Brüche" in polylog 42: Gesundheit und Heilung (2020): pp. 7–20. (http://www.polylog.net/?id=284)
Cf. https://www.academia.edu/43176982/

This article discusses the changes and continuities that characterize the role of disease prevention in Ayurveda from its origins until today. Over the times, Ayurveda repeatedly came under pressure through various external factors. Among these, the impact of western culture and medicine in the wake of colonialism was of utmost significance.
As the present article shows, prevention played a role in Ayurveda from the beginning, however, its importance and the modes of its application changed over the centuries. Therapies like Rasāyana, that have been out of fashion for some time, were revived and adapted to modern needs in the 20th century. In spite of this ability to change and adjust to new circumstances, representatives of modern Ayurveda often prefer to emphasize and even exaggerate the old age and originality of their science.

Background: Rett syndrome-RS comes under Autism spectrum disorder-ASD which is a neurodevelopmental syndrome. It is diagnosed by the main differentiating features of lack of interpersonal and communication skills, poor eye contact, delayed speech with pervasive abnormal body movements. Aim and Objectives: This case report is aimed at dissemination of comprehensive role of Ayurveda in management of ASD, Rett syndrome. Material and Methods: RS is the severe form of ASD. This case study of 2.3 year’s girl presented with RS and global delay, being treated with wholistic approach. It comprises Ayurveda chikitsa and other therapies like Yoga, hydrotherapy, occupational, music, physiotherapy and many more. Observation and Result: Patient has shown promising results in all developmental milestones such as gross motor, fine motor and personal social in 6 months duration except language. Different varieties of massage therapy, diet and Basti, Nasya (Panchkarma) procedures, Omkar mantra chanti...

This review is aimed at conferring the efficacy of anticancer property of different phytochemicals from Nayantara (Catharanthus roseus). Cancer is one of public health burden in developed and developing country. Cancer chemo preventive agents, many of which are natural products, are capable of preventing or inhibiting the process of carcinogenesis. Herbal anticancer drug are obtained from Catharanthus roseus is wildly used because of their well defined mechanism of action as anticancer drug. The main alkaloids of Catharanthus roseus is vinca alkaloids which is important for being cancer fighters. There are four major vinca alkaloids in clinical use: vinblastine (VBL), vinorelbine (VRL), vincristine (VCR) and vindesine (VDS). Recently vinflunine is discovered as new anticancer agent of vinca alkaloids. In this review, an attempt has been made to summarize the pharmacological effect of the above plant against anticancer property in a precise way to help the scientist and learners to understand the basis medicinal value of the plant.

This interview explores the nature of the study and the clinical practice of Tibetan medicine. Also included are topics such as the issues involved in the preservation of ancient forms of medicine in the modern world, medical integration, biopiracy, and the application of intellectual property rights to traditional culture. Eliot Tokar is a traditional Tibetan medicine doctor and internationally experienced writer and lecturer. He practices Tibetan medicine in NYC and is one of the first Westerners to have received extensive textual and clinical training in this field.

Herbal drugs are being used as medicines from ancient period. The increased use of herbal
drugs, and concerns over their safety and efficacy have certainly augmented the need of standardization
of these herbal drugs. WHO has set up guidelines for standardization of these drugs,
which are used as a standard by the majority of countries. The standardization includes the external
(macroscopy/microscopy) as well as internal examination/ash values, extractive values and
many other parameters to identify, authentify and study its chemical composition. Standardization
of the medicinal plants will ensure indirectly that the plants are conserved for their medicinal
and nutritive value. Standardization confirms the safety of the medicinal plant but efficacy
has to be judged clinically or in the laboratory. There is a thin line between efficacy and the
presence of chemical compounds in the drug. The major hurdle in standardization of the batch to
batch variation in the plant compounds. Addition of finer analytical methods of the chemical
compounds may help to minimize the variation and give a better resolution of the plant drug.
Importance of toxicological examination has increased manifolds as contamination can occurs at
various stages, from collection, storage, analysis or processing to extraction of active principles.
These parameters should be recorded for years together; their database should be generated, recorded
and analyzed statistically to see the difference in quality and quantity of the chemical
compounds.
Keywords: Standardization, herbal drug, botanical, pharmacological, toxicological, parameters