Ayurvedic Practitioners Research Articles

Screening of antioxidant activity of three Indian medicinal plants, traditionally used for the management of neurodegenerative diseases

A number of Indian medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years in the traditional system of medicine (Ayurveda). Amongst these are plants used for the management of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, loss of memory, degeneration of nerves and other neuronal disorders by the Ayurvedic practitioners. Though the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases remains enigmatic, there is evidence, which indicates that defective energy metabolism, excitotoxicity and oxidative damage may be crucial factors (Ann. Neurol. 38 (3) (1995) 357). The part of the Ayurvedic system that provides an approach to prevention and treatment of degenerative diseases is known as Rasayana, and plants used for this purpose are classed as rejuvenators. This group of plants generally possesses strong antioxidant activity (Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 43 (1992) 1175), but only a few have been investigated in detail. In the present study, three such rasayana plants were tested for the first time for their toxicity and free radical scavenging activity both in vitro and ex vivo. All the three plant infusions (up to 1 mg/ml) showed no toxic effects on the viability of PC12 cell line as judged by MTT-test. Both ethanolic extracts and water infusions of the plants were tested for their antioxidant activity in the 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS +) radical cation decolorization assay; inhibition of lipid peroxidation by plant infusions was carried out using spontaneous lipid peroxidation of rat brain homogenate, and IC50 values were determined. The results from the ABTS assay showed that the ethanolic extract of Sida cordifolia was found to be most potent (IC50 16.07 μg/ml), followed by Evolvulus alsinoides (IC50 33.39 μg/ml) and Cynodon dactylon (IC50 78.62 μg/ml). The relative antioxidant capacity for the water infusions was observed in the following order: E. alsinoides (IC50 172.25 μg/ml)> C. dactylon (IC50 273.64 μg/ml)> S. cordifolia (IC50 342.82 μg/ml). The results of water infusions of the plants on lipid peroxidation were as follows: E. alsinoides (IC50 89.23 μg/ml)> S. cordifolia) (IC50 126.78 μg/ml)> C. dactylon (IC50 608.31 μg/ml).

Concepts of arthritis in India's medical traditions: Ayurvedic and Unani perspectives

Anthropology and other social sciences have not given detailed attention to cultural constructions of arthritic disorders and their place in traditional medical systems. Humoral medicine and its numerous crosscultural variants offer an important perspective on the conceptualization and treatment of arthritis. The present paper provides a descriptive account of rheumatic disorders in India's Ayurvedic and Unani medical traditions. Data derive from anthropological fieldwork in the New Delhi metropolitan area and from Ayurvedic and Unani texts and secondary sources. The discussion explores these two traditions together as a polysynthetic field of ideas, practices, and materials, and it highlights their congruent concepts of arthritis and related somatic concepts, etiologies, and treatments. It reveals parallels in the clinical practices of Ayurvedic and Unani practitioners and identifies a broadly shared model of arthritis that circulates between these practitioners and their ethnically diverse patient-clienteles. The paper suggests that this South Asian humoral model provides a framework that may be useful in anthropological studies of arthritis in other humoral traditions.

Antioxidant potential of two polyherbal. preparations used in Ayurveda for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) are together with prostanoids, leukotrienes and proteases, believed to be the mediators of inflammation and responsible for the pathogenesis of tissue destruction in RA. Antioxidant (AO) activity is one of the mechanisms by which many conventional drugs used in day to day treatment of RA alleviate the painful symptoms associated with this disease. An investigation has been carried out to compare the antioxidant potentials of two polyherbal formulations, Maharasnadhi quathar (MRQ) and Weldehi choornaya (WC), used by Ayurvedic medical practitioners in Sri-Lanka for the treatment of RA patients. AO potentials of these preparations were assessed by their effects in RA patients on: (a) activities of the AO enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase; (b) lipid peroxidation (as estimated by thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) generation); and (c) concentrations of serum iron and haemoglobin (Hb), and the total iron binding capacity (TIBC). The overall results of the study demonstrate that MRQ has much greater AO potential than WC. Thus, on treatment with MRQ for 3 months, the initial activities of plasma SOD, GPX and catalase, were enhanced by 44.6, 39.8 and 25.2%, respectively. There was no significant improvement in any of these enzyme activities in patients treated with WC for the same time period as MRQ. Although the extent of lipid peroxidation in plasma of RA patients could be decreased by both drug preparations, the reduction mediated in 3 months by MRQ (34%) was markedly greater than that due to WC (21.8%). The total serum iron and Hb concentrations and TIBC in the RA patients included in the study could be significantly improved by treatment with MRQ but not by WC. Thus, at the end of 3 months treatment with MRQ, concentrations of the total serum iron and Hb, and the TIBC of patients improved by 26.8, 24.8 and 16.1%, respectively. Possible reasons for differences in the AO potentials of MRQ and WC are discussed.

Complementary therapy and infertility: an Icelandic perspective.

Complementary therapists take a more holistic view of inferitility treatment than do allopathic health professionals. Lifestyle and nutritional factors may be considered and possibly changed, and psychological and emotional problems such as stress will be treated. Hormonal imbalance in both sexes may be treated with Chinese herbal mixtures such as Hachimijiogan, herbs such as Vitex agnus-castus, or a blend of essential oils designed to treat amenorrhoea or scanty/irregular periods. Herbalists, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, aromatherpists, homeopaths and Ayurvedic practitioners all have a range of treatments for infertile people.

Antioxidant plants

A number of Indian medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years in the traditional system of medicine (Ayurveda). Amongst these are plants used for the management of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, loss of memory, degeneration of nerves and other neuronal disorders by the Ayurvedic practitioners. Though the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases remains enigmatic, there is evidence, which indicates that defective energy metabolism, excitotoxicity and oxidative damage may be crucial factors (Ann. Neurol. 38 (3) (1995) 357). The part of the Ayurvedic system that provides an approach to prevention and treatment of degenerative diseases is known as Rasayana, and plants used for this purpose are classed as rejuvenators. This group of plants generally possesses strong antioxidant activity (Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 43 (1992) 1175), but only a few have been investigated in detail. In the present study, three such rasayana plants were tested for the first time for their toxicity and free radical scavenging activity both in vitro and ex vivo. All the three plant infusions (up to 1 mg/ml) showed no toxic effects on the viability of PC12 cell line as judged by MTT-test. Both ethanolic extracts and water infusions of the plants were tested for their antioxidant activity in the 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS+) radical cation decolorization assay; inhibition of lipid peroxidation by plant infusions was carried out using spontaneous lipid peroxidation of rat brain homogenate, and IC50 values were determined. The results from the ABTS assay showed that the ethanolic extract of Sida cordifolia was found to be most potent (IC50 16.07 μg/ml), followed by Evolvulus alsinoides (IC50 33.39 μg/ml) and Cynodon dactylon (IC50 78.62 μg/ml). The relative antioxidant capacity for the water infusions was observed in the following order: E. alsinoides (IC50 172.25 μg/ml)>C. dactylon (IC50 273.64 μg/ml)>S. cordifolia (IC50 342.82 μg/ml). The results of water infusions of the plants on lipid peroxidation were as follows: E. alsinoides (IC50 89.23 μg/ml)>S. cordifolia) (IC50 126.78 μg/ml)>C. dactylon (IC50 608.31 μg/ml).

A preliminary investigation of the possible hypoglycaemic activity of asteracanthus longifolia

Investigations were carried out to confirm or otherwise disprove the view held by many Ayurvedic and other traditional medical practitioners in Sri Lanka, that Asteracanthus longifolia possesses hypoglycaemic properties. The effects of an aqueous extract of the whole plant on fasting blood glucose level and glucose tolerance were investigated using Sprague-Dawley rats. The results indicate that aqueous extracts of A. longifolia can significantly lower the fasting blood glucose level and markedly improve the glucose tolerance of the rats. The hypoglycaemic effect produced by a therapeutic dose (equivalent to 5 g/kg of starting material) was comparable to that produced by a therapeutic dose (15 mg/kg of tolbutamide. The magnitude of the hypoglycaemic effect was found to vary with the dosage administered and the storage time of the prepared extract.

Illness behaviour in Sri Lanka: Results of a survey in two Sinhalese communities

Although cosmopolitan medicine plays an increasingly important role in developing countries, people still use indigenous medicines. A 1983 survey in two Sinhalese communities in Sri Lanka investigated the patients' use of cosmopolitan or traditional treatments for various illnesses. It appears that for acute complaints, or when a child seems seriously ill, people use cosmopolitan medicine. For common ailments which are known to be self-limiting, people use traditional home remedies and consult Ayurvedic practitioners. In chronic complaints some patients use cosmopolitan medicine, while others prefer the Ayurvedic system or use both kinds of medicine. For a ‘snakebite’ or a ‘fracture’ people prefer the local specialists and for mental illnesses they consult the adura and Buddhist clerguy; as a last resort they turn to the cosmopolitan facility. Ayurvedic medicine does not play a role of any importance in the treatment of mental disease. The aduras in the rural areas and the Buddhist monks and priests in the more urban areas have a clear function in the management of mental disease. Institutionally trained Ayurvedic practitioners have a less clear function, since they often dispense cosmopolitan medicines.

Attitudes of doctors to the Alma Ata recommendations in Sri Lanka.

A detailed postal questionnaire was sent to 400 general practitioners, hospital doctors, and Ayurvedic practitioners in Sri Lanka as part of a wider study to investigate the delivery of primary medical care. The responses to questions that were related to the Alma Ata recommendations, which aim at providing "health for all by the year 2000," and the perceived health needs of the population are reported. Basic sanitation, clean water, adequate nutrition, and improved health education were considered to be the most important needs. When asked to suggest one change in health care 30% of the doctors recommended the integration of primary and secondary care services.

Cultural interpretations of states of malnutrition among children: a South Indian case study.

In this chapter, I wish to consider how a set of children’s illnesses often associated with states of malnutrition are conceptualized by a South Indian population. My focus will be the meaning accorded to these illnesses and the manner in which this meaning influences health care practice and decision making. Highlighted will be rural mothers ideas about the classification, etiology, prevention, and appropriate treatment of seven children’s illnesses in South Kanara District, Karnataka State. Following the presentation of this data, I will briefly consider its applied significance and suggest that culturally responsive approaches to health education may be developed around emic illness categories. I will further argue that ayurvedic practitioners are a primary health care resource in rural South India capable of playing an important role in nutrition education. They are consulted about diet for health as well as during illness and convalescence, times of greatest nutrient need and the most dietary restrictions.

Ripe and unripe: Concepts of health and sickness in ayurvedic medicine

This paper deals with the concepts of ‘ripe’ and ‘unripe’ in Ayurvedic medicine. These concepts express the notions of health and sickness; and I examine the ways in which they were interpreted and applied by Ayurvedic practitioners in S. Gujarat. The concepts of ‘ripe’ and ‘unripe’ describe the state of the food-juice, though they also apply to the relative maturity of the stools and the condition of the tongue. I show how these concepts are derived from the classical sources, particularly the Caraka Samhita. though I suggest that the emphasis they receive today may in part be due to later Ayurvedic texts. The present practice of Ayurveda has also been influenced by the impact of cosmopolitan medicine, and I consider how the interpretation of the Ayurvedic theories has been affected by Western anatomy and physiology, particularly in the account of digestion, and the role of ‘unripe’ food-juice in causing disease. On the basis of first-hand experience in an Ayurvedic hospital I describe some of the different approaches that were used to rid the body of ‘unripe’ food-juice, depending on the severity of the symptoms. I illustrate this part of the paper with a schematic account of the treatment of ‘heart disease’. I thereby hope to demonstrate how the conceptual physiology of A yurveda has been combined with Western anatomy. I also show how the properties of some plant drugs (as described in the Ayurvedic sources) were interpreted, and I examine some of the contexts in which these drugs were used. Among the Vaidyas I knew the concepts of ‘ripe’ and ‘unripe’ were interpreted in terms of the vernacular classification of ‘perfect’ and ‘imperfect’ foods. I discuss this analogy in some detail, and consider the different levels at which it was applied.

Negotiation of the illness experience: Ayurvedic therapy and the psychosocial dimension of illness.

The negotiation of the illness experience by ayurvedic vaidya and South Kanarese patients suffering from specific sources of psychosocial distress is examined in light of the cultural patterning of illness and communication within the clinical context. The negotiation process is initiated by the posing of rhetorical questions about somatic and affective states and structured by a conceptual framework which relegates such states to humoral interrelationships. By establishing a humoral explanatory model for an illness episode or affective state which takes into account environmental and constitutional factors over which one has little control, responsibility is mollified and dialogue about personal problems eased. A comparison of the interaction between ayurvedic practitioners and patients and astrologers and clients is made in this regard. The socially integrative and adaptive consequences of ayurvedic therapy is considered vis a vis a portrayal of a popular vaidya therapy for a number of illnesses associated with the somatization of psychosocial stress.

Comparative efficacy of two medicinal plants and Amaryl® tablet (Glimepiride) in induced diabetes mellitus in rat

Comparative efficacy of two indigenous herbal extracts, (Trigonella foenum-graecum seed & Coccinia indica leaves) with the commonly used drug Glimepiride were studied. Healthy young rats (n=30) of both sexes weighting between 150 to 200 gm were selected and divided into six equal groups, as A (Control), B (diabetic), experimental diabetic groups were-C, D, E and F, treated with combined extract of Methi seed and Telakucha leaves- @ 250mg, 500mg, 750mg and Glimepiride 800μg/kg body weight, respectively. The substances were given orally once daily for14 days. The blood glucose concentration were decreased significantly (P<0.01) in groups C, D, E, and F. The body weight increased significantly (P<0.05) by 2.3%, 3.9%, 4.8% and 10.4%, respectively. The herbal extracts significantly reduced in blood glucose level with the increased in body weight. It is indicated that antidiabetic activity of Trigonella foenum-graecum and Coccinia indica are evident that are traditionally used as the herbal preparations by the Ayurvedic practitioners for the control of diabetes mellitus. Keywords: Trigonella foenum graecum; Coccinia indica; Amaryl® Tablet (Glimepiride); Streptozotocin and antidiabetic effect; Diabetes mellitus; Rat DOI: 10.3329/jbau.v6i2.4825 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 6(2): 297-300, 2008