A CLINICAL STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF ASANATWAK LEPA IN AHIPUTANA W.S.R TO NAPKIN RASHA

Abstract

Ahiputana is a Kapha Rakta predominant disorder mentioned in Ayurvedic classics; it is one of the most com-mon skin diseases during Infancy and Toddler, usually starts within the age of 3rd to 12th week and peaks its in-cidence in the age of 6th to 12th month, up to the age of 5years1, which could be compared with “Napkin Rash” of contemporary science. It is caused by several factors, including warmth, excessive waterlogging of the local skin from stools and urine, and increased perspiration with sweat retention. It is said to be a sort of reaction to ammonia formed in the voided urine. The rash may be a mild erythematous reaction covering the perineal re-gion, buttocks and genitalia. In others, it may be severe with papulovesicular lesions and ulcers2. Many drugs are used for internal administration and external application, and prevention measures have been described in detail in Ayurveda Samhithas and modern science to overcome Ahiputana/Napkin Rash. So, a remedy which would be easy to follow, efficacious, cost-effective and free from all the side effects was adopted. Asanatwak lepa3 is mentioned in Astanga Hrudaya, where the bark of Asana is used to prepare lepa, which has Kaphagh-na, Pittaghna, Vranaropaka, Kledaghna and Raktashodhaka properties. Hence, it is indicated in the treatment of Ahiputana. Therefore, an attempt was made to study the clinical evaluation of Asanatwak lepa in Ahiputana w.s.r. to Napkin Rash. The sample size was a minimum of 30 subjects, fulfilling the diagnostic and inclusion criteria selected. Trial drug treatment, i.e. application of Asanatwak lepa, was given to the children—duration-7 days with Follow-up on the 10th & 14th day after treatment. Results obtained after the clinical trial were ana-lysed statistically & all the observations were subjected to creative discussions. The final results showed that after seven days of the treatment, complete cure was observed in 24 (80%) children & there was marked im-provement in 6 (20%) children.