Ayurvedic Management of Hepatitis

Hepatitis is inflammation of liver parenchyma mostly caused by viruses and other factors. It’s a non-specific prodromal illness characterized by headache, myalgia, arthralgia, nausea, anorexia, dark urine, yellow discoloration of skin, mucosa, sclera and other tissues etc. Methodology: A diagnosed case of hepatitis, 37yrs old female patient, admitted in at Government Ayurvedic college & Hospital, Kadam Kaun, Patna, Having IPD No.1006, RN.7178. Based on symptoms, supported by blood investigation reports and Ayurvedic parameters, the condition diagnosed as Yakritsotha. Oral medicines given: Aryogyavardhini Vati, Punarnava Mandur, Shallaki, Syp. Kalmegh, Kasis Bhasm, Liv 52 HB, Phaltrikadi Kwatha, cap. Stresscom along with Pathya apathya ahara vihara were prescribed. Result: There was drastic decrease in all the symptoms. The effect of treatment was monitored during the follow up with routine blood examinations. The bilirubin level decreased from initial 6.2mg/dl to 1.0mg/dl. Discussion: This article is a discussion about a case of Hepatitis which was successfully treated by Ayurvedic line of treatment. The signs and symptoms, causes, pathos-physiology of Hepatitis, along with its co-relation in Ayurveda as Yakritsotha, its line of treatment and possible the mode of action of drugs were the main points of consideration. Conclusion: Use of medicines such as Aryogyavardhini Vati, Punarnava Mandur, Shallaki, Syp. Kalmegh, Kasis Bhasm, Liv 52 HB, Phaltrikadi Kwatha, cap. Stresscom along with Pathya apathy ahara vihara showed good result without any complication in the present study.

Clinical Study To Evaluate The Efficacy Of Punarnava Churna On Vyana Bala Vaishamya (hypertension)

In essential hypertension, mainly Vata prakopa occurs, particularly Vyana vata as it is responsible for Rasa- rakta samvahana. By virtue of its Ruksha, Sheeta and Khara guna, Rasa-rakta vahini dhamanis are constricted, also its Ruksha guna dries the Malarupa kapha at the inner side of the vessels making them more rigid (Kathin). Vascular lumen may be reduced further leading to obstruction in it. So, for normal circulatory function, increased force of Vyana vayu is required resulting into Vyana bala Vaishamya and hence leading to the development of hypertension. The WHO rates hypertension as one of the most important causes of premature death worldwide. Worldwide, approximately 1 billion people have hypertension, contributing to more than 7.1 million deaths per year. The number of adults with hypertension in 2025 is predicted to increase by about 60% to a total of around 1.56 billion. In India, Cardiovascular diseases caused 2.3 million deaths in the year 1990; this is projected to double by the year 2020. Numbers of drugs are available in modern medicine to treat the disease in its symptomatically active state but still are unable to cure the hypertension. Hyper function of Vyana is considered under Vyana Bala Vaishamya which produces increased force in the wall of the channels (blood vessels) to produce the disease hypertension. In the present clinical trial ‘Punarnava Churna’ is orally administered for 1 month twice a day after food. 30 clinically diagnosed patients of hypertension were randomly selected and divided into two groups. BP, CBC, RBS, ECG, Blood urea, Serum creatinine and Lipid profile were done before and after the clinical trial. After completion of study signs and symptoms were controlled significantly and also there were significant changes in laboratory findings.

Cytotoxicity Of Punarnava (boerhaavia Diffusa L.) In Breast Cell Line

The incidence of cancer especially breast cancer is increasing alarmingly worldwide with a high percentage of death especially in developing countries. The Ayurvedic system treasures a host of medicinal formulations that have been shown to possess cytotoxic effects on tumor cell lines. Recently herbal medicines are coming to play a more vital role in the reduction and prevention of cancer. Boerhaavia diffusa L. (Punarnava), an annual herb has been used for managing wide range of diseases including cancer. This herb was also screened for various pharmacological activities like anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-angiogenic, anti-metastatic activities and others. The decoction of root of Boerhaavia diffusa L. (Punarnava) was not scientifically evaluated for cytotoxicity. So the current study investigates the In vitro Cytotoxicity of root of decoction of Punarnava (Boerhaavia diffusa L.) in breast cell line (MCF-7). The five different concentrations of decoction of Punarnava (Boerhaavia diffusa Linn.) were used for In vitro Cytotoxicity by MTT assay at 24 hours and 48 hours. The test sample exhibits cytotoxicity of about 65.1±1.2at 800 µg/ ml concentration (48 hours) of incubation in MCF-7 breast cell line. The results were also analyzed statistically. It showed that there is highly significant difference in the percentage of inhibition of test sample in concentration from 50µg/ml -800µg/ml. The findings of this investigation concluded that the study drug Boerhaavia diffusa L. (Punarnava) has anti-cancer activity in MCF-7 breast cell line.

Antileishmanial efficacy of Boerhaavia diffusa L. and Ocimum sanctum L. against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.

The chemotherapy of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has several limitations including resistance and toxicity of the existing drugs. Down regulation of immune system further aggravates the problems. To combat this situation we evaluated the leishmanicidal efficacy of Boerhaavia diffusa and Ocimum sanctum through oral route in L. donovani infection in BALB/c mice. Results have demonstrated maximum clearance of the parasites from infected animals treated with combination of B. diffusa and O. sanctum (@ 100 and 400 mg/kg body wt., respectively 5 days) as depicted through Leishman Donovan Units in liver. Up-regulation of cell-mediated immunity was also observed in animals of this group as heightened delayed type hypersensitivity responses and increased IgG2a levels were observed. Moreover, increased levels of SGOT, SGPT, serum urea, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine were brought down to normal levels. Since VL is associated immunosuppression, the above treatment is a good option as it helps in the up-regulation of Th1 responses and reduction in parasite load in L. donovani infected mice. These findings suggest a new option for antileishmanial chemotherapy at lower cost and nil toxicity.