Happy ID, DASHAIN, TIHAR, CHHATHA,…

We are happy to get a chance to wish a very Happy ID, Dashain, Tihar, Chhatha, and all other coming Festivals of our community.

Ayur-Info Family

EDITORIAL (3rd issue)

          The Ayur-Info Board feels immense pleasure to bring out the 3rd issue of Ayur-Info.

          Panchakarma and Naadi-vigyana are the real glamours of Ayurveda, as according to a pioneer Ayurveda physician of Nepal, Dr. Sarita Shrestha. No doubts, such practical subjects should be emphasized in the syllabus of BAMS course for the benefit of the students and the Ayurveda field as a whole. Moreover, a competent research oriented syllabus undoubtly generates such skilled manpower that can squeeze out the optimum from Ayurveda.

          Ayurveda has a wholesome potential ore to provide to the world for years and years to come. The only medium it needs is the competent manpower/professionals to extract and present it to the people in a refined and simple form. For this, a constructive modification in the current syllabus is a must. A mass workshop among the experts of this field should be held on this as soon as possible. So, the concerned offices/or personnel should be prioritize their focus on this issue.

Interview with Dr. Sarita Shrestha

            Born in Pulchocwk, Lalitpur in Ashadh 2013 B.S., Dr. Sarita Shrestha, is a renowned name in Ayurveda. She has been involved in many organizations. She is the chair person of Devi Ma Kunja Hospital and SAMATA (Society of Awareness, Mutuality and Transformation). She is a visiting faculty of Mt.  Madonna Institute, a College of Ayurveda, in California, USA. She is a life member of ADAN (Ayurveda Doctor Association, Nepal) and also WIST (Women in science and Technology). She is the .rst lady to complete M.D (Ayurveda) in Nepal. Some time ago, this interview team of Ayur – Info [AI] had a chance to meet her; the theme is presented here upon.

 

 AI: Mam, .frstly, could you let us know about your academic background and career?

Dr. Shrestha: Well, I’m from a middle class family, the eldest among .ve brothers and sisters. I completed my schooling from Madan Smarak High School and I.Sc from Tri- Chandra College. After completing the Intermediate course in Ayurveda , I started government service in Pharping. Pharping was the milestone in my life,

where I practiced everything freely that I had acquired during my studies. Then Dr. Rishi Ram Koirala and I went to Gwaliyar University to study B.A.M.S. in the scholarship of WHO Colombo Plan. I returned to Nepal and worked in Ayurveda

Campus for 3 years. In 2050 B.S., I went to BHU for M.D. Then I resumed teaching in Campus in 2053 B.S. but then after sometime resigned from the government service.

 

AI: How did you get inspiration to enter the .eld of Ayurveda?

Dr.Shrestha: At .rst, I didn’t have much idea about Ayurveda. Being a middle class family member, I was searching for scholarship. I entered this .eld all of a sudden. Now, I’m really proud to be in this stage in my life.

 

AI: Mam, how do you analyse the condition of Ayurveda in National and interrnational level?

Dr. Shrestha: In the West it is booming. And even in the communist country like Russia and in Muslim countries, it is rising. But only a part of Ayurveda is used. You can practice as a lifestyle counselor, dietician, practice Poorva Karma, Panchakarma and herbal medicines. Holistic concept of Ayurveda is not used. We do not have legal permission to practice as a doctor there. We don’t have authority to have diagnosis declaration. Actually, Nadivigyan and Panchakarma are the glamour of Ayurveda. Fifty years back the concept of antibiotics was booming in the West but now they are coming back to nature. In Nepal, practice of antibiotics is tremendous, we are .fty years back. We should use the media to compensate this gap. One of the main obstacles in the development of Ayurveda

in Nepal is lack of unity in the concerned parties. We should be concerned much about our system. Another major problem in this .eld has been the lack of capability and insight to develop this .field among the top authorities.

AI: Since you are an MD (Ay) in gynecology, what do you see as the major  gynecological problems among Nepalese Women?

Dr. Shrestha: Well, uterine prolapse, uterine erosion, white discharge and  dysmenorrhoea are among the major ones. I have seen thousands of cases of uterine prolapse and am much concerned about uterine prolapse and infertility among Nepalese women. I frequently get involved in health camps in rural areas and have treated many cases of inferlity. In a sense, I have got .fty-one sons and daughters till now!

 

AI: What about the gynecological problems in the USA?

Dr.Shrestha: Menopausal syndrome, breast cancer and cervical cancer are the common ones. We have effective treatment in cervical cancer. Use of jasmine oil is very effective in the second and the third stage of cervical cancer.

 

AI: Mam, what is the peculiarity of Ayurveda in gynecological cases?

Dr. Shrestha: Our principle has a peculiar line of treatment. Kativasti (seize bath), Pichchu are special. Uttarvasti is very effective. I have used this in 10 patients; 2 females after microsurgery (tuboplasty) have become pregnant after Uttarvasti. However, it may be risky and we should be very careful. Patients can go to neurogenic shock.

 

AI: What do you think is better, whether to practice solely Ayurveda or Integrated form of Ayurveda and Allopathy?

Dr.Shrestha: Integration may be good. Also, I feel, in the urban areas, we should focus on Ayurvedic medicines but while we are in villages, where the sophisticated health facilities are not available, we should prescribe both for immediate relief and treatment of disease.

 

AI: Mam, would you tell us about your future plans?

Dr.Shrestha: I have thought of establishing a hospital in Bhaktapur with the holistic concept, under the umbrella of Ayurveda, may be of .ffifty beds. The hospital is already running with five beds. Also I want to take Ayurveda to the people of rural areas.

 

AI: How do you analyze the future of Ayurveda?

Dr.Shrestha: This is the most favorable time for Ayurveda. We just need to recognize the time and have proper vision. The theory of antibiotics is losing its grounds, and people are realizing this. People are heading back to the Mother Nature. Specially talking, the ultimate source of antibiotic is herbal medicine. We have Devdaru which is effective against 9 microorganisms. Similarly, Chutro (Barberis Aristata) and Tulsi (Ocimum Sanctum), etc are very important antibiotics. To cut short, the future of Ayurveda is very good.

 

AI: At last any message to students?

Dr.Shrestha: You need to have a very deep knowledge and understanding of Ayurveda.At last, all the best to all of you students of Ayurveda Campus. And thanks to Ayur-Info.

 

[The interview was fecilitated by Aseem, Chandra,

Cyrus and Surya.]

Laughter Therapy might Harm

xf:o pkrf/n] xflg klg ug{;S5

 

– 8f=sfzL/fh zdf{ ;’j]bL

cfo’j]{b SofDk;, sLlt{k’/

        dgf]/~hgsf cg]s pkfox?df cfkm” xf“:g’ / c?nfO{ klg xfF:g k|l/t ug’{ Ps pkfo x’G5 . :jefljs?kdf x’g] xfF;f] ;’:jf:Yosf] nIf0f klg dflgG5– ‘k|;GgfTd]lGb|odgfM :j:y OTolewLot] .’ :j:y dflg;sf] cg’xf/ ;wF} xFl;nf], pHofnf] x’G5 . xfF;f] jf dGb d’:sfgn] ;f}Gbo{ a9fpg] sfo{ u5{, k|]dnfO{ 3lgi7 agfpg klg d2t u5{ . o;}

eP/ /f]uLx?nfO{ pkrf/ ubf{ ltgLx?nfO{ k|;Gg t’Nofpg], xfF:g k|]l/t ug]{ k|oTg ul/G5 . xfF;f]n] /f]uLnfO{ /f]usf] kL8faf6 d’Qm u/fpF5 / km]l/ :j:y x’g] ljZjf; klg pTkGg u/fpF5 . cfo’j]{bdf /f]uLnfO{ k|;Gg kfg]{ pkfonfO{ xif{0f elgPsf] 5 . afhLs/0f pkrf/sf ljleGg tTjx?df xif{ klg kb{5 . afhLs/0f cf}iflwsf] ‘ckTo;Gtfgs/+ ot\ ;BM ;Dk|xif{0fd\’ ljz]iftfsf] pNn]v kfOG5 . cyf{t\ afhLs/0f cf}iflwn] tTsfn xif{ pTkGg ub{5 . :j:y  ;Gtfg hGdfpg klg d2t ub{5 .

 

        cfw’lgs lrlsT;f lj1fgdf ;fdfGo la/fdLx?sf] pkrf/sf] Ps c+usf] ?kdf xf:o lrlsT;fsf]  (Laughter therapy) ljsf; ul/Psf] 5 . o;sf] Jojl:yt?kdf k|of]u / k|rf/ k|;f/ gePklg cfjZostfg’;f/

of]Uo lrlsT;s Pj+ ;fdflhs sfo{stf{ Pj+ lj1x?åf/f o;sf] k|of]u eO/x]s} 5 . olt eP klg xfF:g] xF;fpg] s’/fnfO{ dfd’ln ;Dem]/ o;sf] unt ?kdf k|of]u ug’{ plrt x’Fb}g . ;DalGwt dflg;sf] zf/Ll/s jf dfgl;s cj:yf, aflx/sf] kl/l:ylt cflbsf] ljrf/ u/]/ o;sf] pkof]u ug’{kb{5 . xfF;f] :jefljs klg x’G5 / b]vfj6L klg x’G5 .xfdL ha :jefljs ?kdf v’zL eP/ xfF:b5f}F, To; a]nfdf xfd|f] dl:tissf] pRrtd efu cyjf ;]l/a|n s6]{S; klg ;xefuL x’G5 . :jefljs xfF;f]n] z/L/sf df+zk]zLx?df 7LSs dfqfdf tgfj pTkGg ub{5, ltgLx?sf]  sfo{Ifdtf a9fpg d2t ub{5 . b]vfj6L xfF;f]n] c?nfO{ em’Sofpg ;lsG5, jf:tljs cfgGb kfpg ;lsFb}g .  hah{:tL xfF:g vf]Hbf xfd|f] dg dl:tis / z/L/df g/fd|f] c;/ ug{;Sb5 . ;DalGwt JolQm jf /f]uLsf] kl/l:ylt ga’emL ul/Psf] xf:o pkrf/n] dflg;sf] hLjg klg u’Dg ;S5 . To; cj:yfdf z/L/sf df+zk]zLx?df cgfjZos tlGsg] k|lqmof x’G5, Zjf; l56f] rNg yfNb5, /utsf] k|jfx tLj| x’G5 . o;sf] kl/0ffd:j?k tlGsg] c+usf sf]lifsfx? (Cells) Ifltu|:t x’g] / cg]s lsl;dsf hl6n cj:yfx? ;[hgf x'g] l:ylt cfpg;S5 . d’6′;DaGwL /f]uLx? cyjf h;sf] d’6′ b’Vg] eO/xG5 ltgLx?n] xf:o lrlsT;fdf ;fd]n x’g'x’Fb}g . hf]8bf/ xfF;f]n] d’6′df g/fd|f] c;/ ug{;S5 . h;sf] kmf]S;f]df l6=la=cyjf KNo”/n ;+qmd0f eO;s]sf] 5, h;sf] kmf]S;f] c? s’g} sf/0faf6 sdhf]/ ePsf] 5 To;n] klg xf:o pkrf/df nfUg’x'Fb}g . ue{jtL dlxnfx?sf nflu xf:o pkrf/ 3fts

x’G5 . xf:o lrlsT;fdf dlxnfx?sf] k]6df kg]{ cltl/Qm bafa-ef/_n]  ue{ktg u/fpg;S5 . ue{kftkl5 x’g] a9L /utsf] ;|fj /QmfNktfsf] hLjgz}nLdf cfPsf] kl/jt{gsf sf/0f cr]n w]/}h;f] aRrf hGdfpg l;h]l/og ck|]zgsf] d2t lng’kg]{ x’G5 . 8fS6/x?n] To; lsl;dsf] ck|]zg ul/Psf] dlxnfx?nfO{ kfgL el/Psf] ufu|L jf afN6L

klg gp7fpg] ;Nnfx lbG5g\ . o:tf] cj:yfdf xf:o pkrf/ ubf{ csf]{ cfkb\ cfpg ;S5 .

 

rfnL; jif{sf] pd]/kl5 dlxnfx?sf] uef{zonfO{ cf8 lbg] tGt’ / df+zk]zLx? k|foM sdhf]/ x’G5g\ . To;sf] kl/0ffddf ltgLx?df cfª\ v:g](Prolapse) ;d:of pTkGg x’G5 . To; cj:yfdf ltgLx?df d”qk|jfxsf] lgoGq0f ug]{ zlQm x/fP/ hfG5 . To:tf dlxnfx?n] klg xf:o pkrf/ lt/ nfUg’x'Fb}g . To:t} cNsfO of xlg{ofsf] /f]uLsf nflu

;d]t xf:o pkrf/n] xflg ug{;S5 . pQm cj:yfx?df xf:o pkrf/n] xflg ug{ ;S5 eg]/ 8/fpg’ kb}{g . :jefljs dGb d’:sfg 7LSs dfqfdf pkof]uL g} x’G5 . clt u/]/ vlt gxf];\ eGg] s’/fdf ljrf/ k’¥ofpg} k5{ .

PSYCHIATRY IN AYURVEDA

            Ayurveda has differentiated our organs into jnanendriya (organs of perception) and karmendriya (organs of action). Ayurveda has given the special status to ubhayendriya (organ of both perception & action; mana/ mind). Ayurveda also emphasizes our mind to be of more importance than the body in the body-mind apparatus.

 

When the mind is in good state, it generates positive feelings like those of love and affection. In the contrary, if the mind is not healthy then the body-mind apparatus gets imbalanced. Due to improper diet and actions, the natural state of the mind is disturbed and the positive feelings are driven out. They then give place to negative feelings like those of anger, jealousy, cruelty, drowsiness which further lead to mental disorders.

 

Ayurveda also says that these negative feelings are emotional toxins. If they are not driven out of the body in a stipulated time, they give rise to chronic mental disorders like anxiety, neurosis, depression etc. If this is further ignored, it turns into permanent disorders like unmad; unreasonable and irrational state of mind like hysteria. Apasmara (epilepsy) is also categorized as a mental disorder. As for the cause, Ayurveda mentions improper diet, actions committed in this birth, bad deeds done in the last birth, physical illness, over indulgence in sex, severe stress, unfavourable environment etc. All these hamper the natural vitality of a person and lead to disturbed health.  A person suffering from mental disorders becomes incapable of conducting himself/herself according to situational demands and social norms. S/he has visual or aural hallucinations instead of coherent thoughts. Social withdrawl, antisocial behaviour or extreme violence on the personal, family or social level is seen. A few physical symptoms like tremours, irregular eyeball movements, oblivion of one’s own body, excessive persipiration and salivation may accompany these behavioural aberrations. Seeking attention and avoiding attention are two extremes of the mental pendulum. All the in-between stages like diverting attention, distracting attention etc are seen in various mental or psychosomatic disorders. Purposeless movements or compulsive, obsessive movements can also be observed at times.

 

Few decades ago, the incidence cases of the mental disorders were less intense. With the advancement of time and conditions this number has now increased. At present almost half the world population is facing it in any forms either sadhya or asadhya. In Nepal, it crosses 65% of the total population as per the recent indications. The westerners come ahead in such cases. For the treatment of these disorders, Ayurveda has prescribed a list of herbs and shrubs. Cooling medicines prepared from rose, khus, brahmi, kevada (Pandanus odoratissimus) etc as well as mixtures such as gulkanda (rose petals treated with crystal sugar and sunlight), chyawanaprasha morawala (a mixture made from amla i.e. Ebblica of.cinalis, sugar etc) are recommended to keep the mind balanced, fresh and active. Almonds are also bene.cial. Badampaka (a mixture made from almonds, butter/ghee, sugar etc) is a very good mental tonic and should be given as per the Ayurveda physicians’ advice. Ayurveda also strongly recommends avoiding alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other intoxicating substances. This is a very important part of treatment. Very hot, spicy food and too much of non-vegetarian items should be avoided. Cow’s milk, home-made ghee (preferably made from cow’s milk), apples, pineapples, grapes are recommended as they enhance mental strength and vitality.

 

General hygiene maintenance and social interaction are advisable. Patients are encouraged to be engaged in productive activities. Positive thinking, support from family members and a moderate response to patient’s mental tempers and tantrums helps the patient and gives him/her space for recovering from the illness. To regain one’s social position and lead a normal life again is a difficult task but not impossible. It can be achieved with the help of family members.

 

-Kenin Rai and sources

12th (2064) Batch

Burning Incense Sticks Well for Brain

            – Cyrus Neupane

BAMS [11th Batch]

 

Religious leaders have contended for millenia that burning incense is good for soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. An international team of scientists, including the researches from Johns Hopkins University, USA and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be under our noses. Apparently, most present- day worshippers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning. To determine incense’s psychoactive effects, the researchers administered incensole acetate to mice. They found that the compound signi.cantly affected areas in brain known to involve in emotions as well as in nerve circuits that are affected by current anxiety and depression drugs.

 

Source – TIMES OF INDIA

Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter

Patients, doctors and health-care professionals are all .nding that laughter may indeed be the best medicine. Finding humor in a situation and laughing freely with others can be a powerful antidote to stress. It is also a very good coping mechanism when you are suffering from deadly diseases such as cancer. Many people find that maintaining the senses of humor at such occasion are useful for good quality of life. Our sense of humor gives us the ability to .nd delight, experience joy , and to release tension. This can be an effective selfcare tool. Scienti.c evidence on the effectiveness of humor as a therapy is now overwhelming. Today, interest in humor’s effects has grown so much that the .eld has a name psychoneuroimmunology, the study of how psychological factors, the brain and the immune system interact to in.uence health. For many years medical professionals have recognized that those patients who maintained a positive mental attitude and served and shared laughter responded better to treatment. Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with the stress response. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone. Clinical studies have shown that humor strengthens the immune system. It allows a person to “forget” about pains such as aches, arthritis, etc. a belly laugh is equivalent to an internal jogging. Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially to those who are unable to perform physical exercises. Laughing is found to reduce blood pressure. Women seem to benefit more than men in preventing hypertension. Laughing increases muscle flexion, and boost immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease destroying antibodies. Hospitals of different countries are incorporating formal and informal laughter therapy programs into their therapeutic regimens. Humor is a universal language. It’s contagious emotion and a natural diversion. It

brings other people in and breaks down barriers. Best of all it is free and has no side reactions.

PRAVESH SRIVASTAVA

B.A.M.S. (O64 batch)

 

RESEARCHES ON TRIPHALA

–From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

One of the most common and cheapest of Indian ayurvedic medical formulations – Triphala – is now emerging as a potential anticancer agent:   studies suggest that it may have anti-cancer effects in rats and in laboratory   tissue cultures [3]. Triphala is a combination of the dried fruits of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica, and Emblica of.cinalis in equal proportions. These are popularly known in India as harad, behada and amla. Ayuveda practitioners claim Triphala is useful as an internal cleansing, detoxifying formula, and as a herbal laxative [4] [5][3].

          In a study titled ‘Potential of traditional Ayurvedic formulation, Triphala, as a novel anticancer drug’ published in the January 2006 issue of Cancer Letters, scientists at the Radiation Biology and Health Sciences Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, found that Triphala had the ability to induce

cytotoxicity (cell death) in tumor cells but spared the normal cells [3].

Also, a December 2005 report in the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research from the Radiation and Cancer Biology Laboratory at Jawaharlal Nehru University noted that Triphala was effective in reducing tumor incidences and increasing the antioxidant status of animal constituents.”[3]

Another report from the Department of Botanical Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, found that “Triphala” showed a signi.cant cytotoxic effect on cancer cell-lines and the effect was similar on all cancer cell lines used in this study.” The results, reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in February 2005, reveal that the results may be due to the action of gallic acid-a major polyphenol observed in “Triphala”. The same authors had previously reported that Triphala “had promising antimutagenic/anticarcinogenic potential.” In February 2006, scientists from the Dr. A.L. Mudaliar Post- Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani Campus reported that supplementation with Triphala prevents the noise-stress induced changes in the antioxidant as well as cell-mediated immune response in rats, which means is that Triphala is an anti-stress agent. This study concludes that Triphala restores the noise-stress induced changes because of its antioxidant properties [3].

Antioxidant studies conducted at The Radiation Chemistry and Chemical Dynamics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay revealed that all three constituents of Triphala are active, they exhibit slightly different activities under different conditions and that the mixture, Triphala, itself is expected to be more ef.cient due to the combined activity of the individual components.

The finddings were reported in the July 2005 issue of Phytotherapy Research. Two months later, scientists from BARC reported on the radio-protective ability of a component of Triphala. Similar results were also reported from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, when scientists claimed that “Triphala, an ayurvedic rasayana drug, protects mice against radiationinduced lethality by free-radical scavenging.” They concluded that “Triphala provided protection against both gastrointestinal and hemopoetic death” [6].

 

References :

[1] a b CCRAS, IIT Delhi develop novel Panchakarma equipment Pharmabiz.com

[2] Ashwagandha next on patent hunters list,Hindu Vivek Kendra archive of the Times of India May 16 2001

[3] a b c d e Ayurveda’s  Triphala Emerging as Cancer Fighter by Francis C. Assisi indolink.com

[4] The Wonders of Triphala by Dr. Michael Tierra Planetherbs.com

[5] Triphala ayurvediccure.com

[6] Jagetia G.C. et al. (2004).

Complement Med 10 (6): 971-978.

THINK TWICE BEFORE TATTOOING AND PIERCING

            Children and teenagers with congenital heart disease should be strongly discouraged from getting a tattoo or piercing their ears or other body part, because it could lead to a potentially deadly infection of the heart, doctors from the UK warn in a report published recently. In recent years, there have been several reports of people developing endocarditis and other serious infections after tattooing and body piercing, and infection has resulted in at least one death. Infective endocarditis occurs when bacteria or fungi attaches and begins to grow on the valves of the heart. If left untreated, it can lead to a fatal destruction of heart muscle. Despite these reports, there is little general consensus about how patients with heart disease should be advised about tattooing and bodying piercing, according to a report in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. To investigate, Dr. Suhair O. Shebani from Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, and colleagues conducted a survey of 600 patients attending pediatric cardiology clinics and 69 pediatric cardiologists, some of whom were still treating adults with congenital heart disease. Of the 486 heart patients surveyed, 87 (about 18 percent) had body art; 86 patients had piercing, and one had a tattoo. One of these individuals developed endocarditis after an ear piercing. The average age of the piercing group was 12 years, while the patient who got the tattoo was 15 years old.

Sixty-two percent of these young people (54 out of 78) were not aware that they should talk to their doctor before tattooing or piercing their body. Among the 33 patients who sought advice about body art, 12 asked their heart doctor: 4 were advised against it, 6 were told to take sterile precautions, and 2 were told that there was no need for precautions. Twenty-one patients sought advice from non-heart specialists: 5 were advised against body art, 8 were advised to take precautions, and 8 were told there was no need for precautions. “While it is worrying that most patients in our group did not seek advice before having body art, it is of greater concern that those who did seek advice were given such widely varying recommendations,” Shebani and colleagues write. They also .nd it troublesome that most of the pediatric heart doctors surveyed were not aware that tattooing could lead to an infection of the heart and most indicated that they did not routinely offer advice “Body art in the form of tattoos and piercing has become increasingly popular amongst children and teenagers, and is nowadays more socially acceptable,”  the UK team notes in their report. “Better knowledge and education about the link between body art and endocarditis is required in order to provide guidelines for doctors and patients.” For the time being, Shebani and colleagues “strongly discourage all forms of body art.” For those who cannot be dissuaded, they recommend antibiotics be given prior to tattooing or  piercing, “with strong advice for prompt treatment of any signs of subsequent  infection.”

A recent study by the European Research Commission found that up to half of body piercings can lead to acute infection.

 

SOURCE: Archives of Disease in Childhood

Compiled by: ASEEM BAIDYA

11th (2063) Batch

Some herbs in the treatment of Depression in Ayurveda

The most important herbs for the treatment of depression are: brahmi, jatamansi, and vacha. In addition, speci.c herbs are used in vata-, pitta-, and kapha-type depression.

 

BRAHMI :

Brahmi is by far the most important herb for treatment of affective mood disorders. Its active principle, hersaponin, regulates brainwave activity, and aids production of malnutrition and serotonin. It contains iron, ribo.avin, vitamin B6 and oleic acid. In the treatment of depression, brahmi is taken as a tea, on teaspoon steeped for ten minutes in a cup of boiling water. It should be taken three times daily. At bedtime, for a more sedative effect, milk is used in place of water. In addition to brahmi tea, brahmi ghee is used both as a nasya and as a tonic: brahmi ghee nasya is taken .ve drops in each nostril daily; before bed. Brahmi ghee is taken as a tonic, one teaspoon on an empty stomach, twice daily. Brahmi oil may be made using either sesame or coconut oil. Brahmi-sesame oil is applied to the soles of the feet at bedtime and to the forehead, in cases of vata-type depression, and wil help calm the prana vayu and bring sound sleep. Brahmi-coconut or Brahmi-sun.ower oil is applied to the soles of the feet and forehead in the case of pitta-type depression, and helps calm anger. In severe cases of depression, basti is administered regularly, using brahmi decoction and sesame oil. Ayurvedic treatment of depression should not be deemed unsuccessful until brahmi teas, brahmi ghee tonic, brahmi ghee nasya and brahmi basti have been administered for several months.

 

JATAMANSI

Jatamansi is the Indian variety of valerian, and is a perennial plant with stems partly underground and a woody root stock, growing about two feet high. It is the source of the essential oil known as nard or spikenard, as is highly aromatic. Bitter and astringent by taste, cooling in energy and sweet in postdigestive effect, it has a balancing effect on all three doshas. It nourishes prana vayu, tarpak kapha and sadhak pitta and is important in treating all kinds of depression. Currently, the Indian government is not allowing export of raw jatamansi. It is still possible to obtain nard essential oil and the compound known as sarsvati, which contains equal parts of brahmi, jatamansi, and calamus root. Sarasvati, named for the goddess of knowledge and speech, is valuable in the treatment of depression, an should be taken as a dry powder, combined with herbs which are of special relevance for V-, P-, or K-type depression.

 

VACHA

Known in English as sweet flag, vacha is a rhizome which contains acorin, the active principle. It is pungent and bitter in taste, heating in energy, and pungent in post-digestive effect. It calms vata and kapha, but may provoke pitta, and is contra-indicated in cases of stomach ulcer and bleeding disorder. It is of great benefitt in V-K-type depression.

 

VATA-TYPE DEPRESSION

V-type depression should be treating using brahmi tea, brahmi ghee, and brahmi  sesame oil massage. Sarasvati should be given, _ teaspoon twice daily followed by warm water. Guggulu is extremely valuable for fear, anxiety, nervousness and all vatatype mood disorders. Normally, for vata, it is best given as the compound Yogaraj Guggulu. If the pitta is high or there is a history of hyperactivity, the cooler compound, kaishore Guggulu, is used instead. Due to its scraping effect, Guggulu is NOT used in pregnancy. Oiling and sweating using brahmi oil will help to calm the prana vayu, as will a treatment known as shirodhara, which consists of pouring a gentle stream of warm sesame oil on the forehead, or shirobasti, in which the entire scalp is bathed in warm   sesame or brahmi oil. Basti using brahmi decoction and four ounces of warm sesame oil, is also valuable in calming the vata dosha.

 

PITTA-TYPE DEPRESSION

In P-type depressin also the basic teatment consists of brahmi tea, brahmi ghee, and brahmi-oil massage. Sarasvati can be used, combined with herbs that are balancing for sadhak pitta. These include shankapushpi, rose, sandalwood, and lotus. If there is a history of drug or alcohol abuse, shankapushpi will be tremendously useful in healing the liver as well as in calming the mind and balancing the sadhak pitta. For overall balancing of pitta, a pitta-soothing diet should be taken, avoiding sour, pungent, salty, and oily foods. Amalaki should be taken at bed time, _ teaspoon steeped for ten minutes in one cup boiling water.

 

KAPHA-TYPE DEPRESSION

The same basic treatments are used in K-type depression. Where there is obesity,  triphala Guggulu can be used. Otherwise, Trikatu can be added to the sarasvati mixture,   for a more stimulating effect. Refraining from sleep during the day and taking vigorous exercise is essential in the treatment of a kapha-type depression.

 

Compiled by: Shree Ram Phuyal

11th (2063) Batch