Ayurvedic concept and management of Anaemia. A novel approach

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2007 in the subject Medicine - Alternative Medicine, grade: A (Gold Medalist), , course: MD (AYURVEDA), language: English, abstract: The Ayurveda is the holistic system of medicine successfully thriving since time immemorial owing to its strong foundation in the form of the basic principles which have not undergone any alteration since their inception. The Ayurveda classics mainly the Charaka and Sushruta Samhita (treatises) are a treasure of knowledge in a code form. These classics need to be reviewed in the new and contemporary scientific background to re validate their strength.

The disease Anaemia is a very common ailment widely prevalent in India and the developing world. Ayurveda mentions Anaemia in the form of the depleted blood tissue (rakta dhatu in Ayurveda parlance) . The science of Ayurveda explained the inter-relationship of the tissues as the increase of one tissue causes an increase in the other and vice versa. This principle of the inter-relationship is of great application both in the understanding of the physiology and the pathology followed by the application in the clinical practice.

Ayurveda approves that treatment is the replenishment of the depleted and depletion of the overload/excess.

In this work, this principle of inter-relationship is applied clinically. The medicines used are the Shatavari (Asparagus racemosa) and the Milk. These two drugs are natural tonics that are proved to be the augmenters of the first tissue namely the Rasa (Plasma in modern parlance). Thus, by increasing the Rasa there should be an increase in the second tissue of Rakta/Blood. This assessment of inter-relationship between the tissues is aimed clinically in this work.

The clinical study has a two group division, treatment group and the standard control group. All the relevant investigations from the Ayurvedic methodology and the contemporary sciences have been carried out and assessed and evaluated through a special grading and research proforma. The necessary statistical tests like the paired 't' test has been utilized to understand the significance of the study.

The results were discussed with the specialists and experienced and thus, the final conclusions drawn that indicate a very significant trend in proving the validity of the Ayurvedic fundamentals. The details of all this are presented in the text.