Title:Management of Certain Respiratory Disorders through Ayurveda: A Systematic
Review of Clinical Studies Published in Ayurveda Journal
Volume: 8
Author(s): Anju Sreedharan *, Nilesh Suryawanshi and Vedvati Bhapkar
Affiliation:
- Department of Ras Shastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana, D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University, School of Ayurveda, Nerul
Navi, Mumbai, India
Keywords:
Ayurveda, clinical studies, asthma, chronic bronchitis, tamaka shwasa, tuberculosis, respiratory disorders.
Abstract:
Background: Respiratory diseases like Asthma, Tuberculosis, and COPD (Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Diseases) in the developing world are a major health burden in terms of morbidity
and mortality in both adults and children. A number of studies on treating respiratory disorders
using Ayurveda formulations and theirmanagement have been found in Ayurveda Journals
with promising results, but an evidence-based systematic review of them is not available.
Objective: The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review on the management of certain
respiratory disorders through Ayurveda.
Methods: To conduct this study, Ayurveda research articles were obtained from PubMed and Google
Scholar. Total 51 clinical studies were yielded, which underwent further screening process to
achieve the quality of inclusion criteria.
Results: 24 articles were selected from six different publications for the review. In general, the
quality of few selected articles was low. Of the 24 articles identified, 3 studies (n = 24) exclusively
focused on Shodhana Karma (Vamana Virechana), 3 studies (n = 24) focused on the concept of
Shodhana and Shamana Chikitsa, 4 studies (n = 24) focused on Ayurvedic formulations as adjuvants,
1 study (n = 24) focused on Shamana Chikitsa along with Pranayama, 13 studies (n = 24) focused
only on Shamana Chikitsa. All the above treatment modalities showed significant results on
major symptoms of respiratory disorders.
Conclusion: This systematic review on different types of Ayurvedic management for treating respiratory
disorders proves to be beneficial to understand the importance of Virechana Karma in Tamaka
Swasa, the effectiveness of Shamana Chikitsa after Shodhana Karma in Pratishaya and Tamaka
Swasa. This review also sheds light on the importance of Pranayama along with Shamana
Chikitsa, efficacy of Ayurvedic formulations as adjuvant along with allopathic treatments and potency
of different Ayurvedic dosage forms for treating certain respiratory disorders.
