Development of a Substitute Oil for Vipadikahara Grita Taila and It’s Evaluation Against Vipadika Skin Disease (A Case Study)

Abstract

Vipadikahara Grita Taila is specific and effective medicated oil, use externally to treat the “Vipadika” skin lesion. Vipadika is a common skin ailment in geographically warm country like Sri Lanka. Large fissures with number of cracks in feet and hands with severe pain are the symptoms of Vipadika skin lesion according to Ayurveda texts. Though Vipadikahara Grita Taila is an effective treatment, two important plants (Leptadenia reticulate and Berberis aristata) are not available in Sri Lanka to prepare this medicated oil. Therefore, as an alternative, substitute oil was prepared introducing two newly identified substitute plants (Wattakaka volubilis and Berberis ceylanica). Still, researches are not attempted to evaluate the efficacy of this substitute oil on Vipadika skin disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of substitute oil on Vipadika skin lesion. A forty seven year old female house wife was presented to outpatient department (Kayachikitsa clinic), Ayurveda Teaching Hospital in 2014 with complaints of bilateral large cracks and fissures in feet since 05 years. According to clinical features of Ayurveda view, this case diagnosed as Vipadika skin lesion. To manage this, standardized substitute oil was applied over the affected area twice a day, in the morning and evening in dried feet after washing with Luke warm water for 6 weeks duration. The lesions progressively healed reducing with cardinal symptoms during the treatment period and gradually the skin of the feet became almost normal. Present study had proven that, substitute oil for Vipadikahara Grita Taila can be used externally as an effective medicated oil to manage Vipadika.