Role of Rasoushadhies in the management of alcoholic acute on chronic pancreatitis: A case study

Abstract

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, which may be acute or chronic. Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory condition that may extend to local and distant extrapancreatic tissues. Recurrent inflammations will eventually turn the disease into a chronic stage. The chronicity of the disease causes emaciation of the patient, craving for food, and worsening of the symptoms, which results in a bad prognosis due to necrosis of the pancreatic cells, depicting the Dhatupakavastha (~tissue suppuration) as per Ayurveda. The predominant symptom is persistent Udarashoola (~colicky abdominal pain). The management of pancreatitis through Rasoushadhi (~herbo-metallo-mineral-based formulations) is considered to be a choice of treatment due to its advantages, including an ability to cure even bad prognostic diseases. This is a case study of a 48-year-old male, a diagnosed case of alcoholic acute on chronic pancreatitis since 2009, where administration of a combination of few Rasoushadhi containing Lauha bhasma (~incinerated iron), Tamra bhasma (~incinerated Copper), Sudhavarga dravya (~calcium compounds), and Kshara (~alkaline substances) showed significant improvement in clinical, biochemical, and radiological parameters. The outcome of the treatment infers that Rasoushadhi can be useful in the management of such manifestations, further can reduce in number of hospitalizations and restore the health of the patient.