Vinod Dattarao Patange*
Lecturer, Department
of Dravyaguna, S.C. Mutha Aryangla Vaidyak Mahavidyalaya,Satara.
E-mail: vinodpatange@rediffmail.com, Ph.No: +91-9028067171
Hypertension
is abnormal increase in the blood pressure. It leads to many fatal conditions
like heart failure, cerebral haemorrhage, renal
disease, dissecting aortic aneurysms etc. It is characterized by the elevated
blood pressure and includes symptoms like Shirah-shul
(headache), Bhrama (giddiness), etc. According
to Ayurveda, hypertension is caused by the vitiation of pitta,
rakta, meda and
obstructing the channels of the body. So to cure the disease a drug having the
properties of reducing pitta, meda,
rakta and cleaning the channels of the body is
preferred. So a herbal drug Kutaki
(Picrorrhiza kurroa) having
the similar properties has been taken for the study to understand its effect on
Hypertension. An open end clinical trial was conducted on 30 patients of
primary hypertension and drug was administered internally in a dose of 250 mg
twice daily along with jaggery for 15 days. The results
showed that there is mild to moderate relief in the patients with the drug and
no untoward side-effects were seen in any patients.
Key
words: Kutaki, Picrorrhiza kurroa, Hypertension.
Now
a day’s sedentary life style is one of the causes of hypertension. It is one of
the commonest causes for other major disorders like ischemic heart disease and
other pulmonary and renal conditions.
Hypertension
is generally assymptomatic and is found on routine
general examination of the blood pressure. Some patients express it with the
symptoms of headache, giddiness, sleeplessness etc. According to WHO if systolic B.P is more than 160
and diastolic is less than 95 this comes under High Blood Pressure category.
(3)
The
symptoms generally observed in the patients of hypertension are similar to
various conditions mentioned in the Ayurvedic texts like brama,
anidrata etc. the causative factors to the above symptoms involve the
vitiation of pitta, rakta, meda and kapha and causing the
abnormal functioning of vyana vayu. (4)
This
occurs because of the factors causing vitiation of Pitta
like spicy foods, Cigar smoking, Tobacco chewing, alcoholism, awakening late in
the night (Atijagaran), excessive consumption of
pungent and salty diet, and some psychological factors like fear, anger etc
play a major role in the vitiation of the doshas.
Because
of the above causes there will be Pittaprakopa which
vitiates Rakta and due to today’s sedentary lifestyle
there will be Medodhatwagnimandya which causes Dhamanipratichaya which obstructs Vyana-vayu
causes Raktabhara Vrudhhi. So,
we can call this disease as Pitta, Meda-Raktavrutta Vyana vata.
The treatment of it include a drug which can pacify the doshas pitta and kapha and reduce meda and
regulate the functions of the vyana vata. Hence for the present study the herbal drug Kutaki Latin name- Picrorrhiza
kurroa was taken for the study.
Selection
of the drug: (1-2)
Porperties of the drug: Rasa- Tikta, Veerya- Katu, Veerya-
Sheeta, Guna - Ruksha, Laghu, Karma- Deepana, Bhedana, Hridya, Doshaghnata-Kapha-Pittghna,
Rogaghnata-Prameha, Swasa, Kasa, Raktavikara, Kusta and Krumivikara.
By the
above said properties Kutki was selected for the
treatment of Hypertension. It clears the path of Srotasas
which is obstructed by Dusta Kapha
and Dusta pitta.
The
drug is powdered finely and is administered in a dose of 250 mg for 15 days.
The powdered drug is bitter in taste hence to make it palatable it is mixed
with equal quantity of jaggery
The
aim of the study is to access the efficacy of Katuki
powder in the cases of Hypertension.
An open end trial was
conducted in 30 patients) in the age group of 20 to 60 yr, whose informed consent
was obtained before commencement of the study. The study was conducted in Dr. M.N.Agashe Charitable Trusts Hospital, Shukravar
Petha, Satara.
Signs and symptoms as well as Blood Pressure examined.
· Patients
between the age group of 20-60 years of age.
· Patients
diagnosed as hypertensive.
· Patients
not having any fatal complications.
Exclusion
criteria:
· Patients
above 60 years of age.
· Patients
having complications like previous history of stroke, cardiac failure etc.
· Pregnant,
lactating and cachexic patients were excluded from
the study.
Assessment:
Patients are asked to
come for checkups once in a week for two visits. The most common symptoms of
hypertension, headache (shirashula), giddiness (bhrama), hriddravya (heaviness
the chest), oedema (shotha),
dyspnoea (shwasaktata) are
recorded for their presence or absence and the assessment is made by the
following based on the relief of the symptoms
Blood pressure was
checked by the sphygmomanometer and the categorized as normal (120/80 mm of Hg),
mild (<130/90 mm of Hg), moderate (<140/100 mm of Hg) and severe
(>140/100 m of Hg).
Out
of 15 patients, 12 patients completed the trial. It is observed that of the 12
patients 9 has Shirahshula, 05 has Bhrama, 05 had Hridadrava, 06 has Anidra, 03
patients has Smrutibhramsha, 05 has Swasa kastata, 08 has Shotha, 04 has Urahshula, 06
patients having Atisweadapravrutti, 07 patients are Habitual to tobacco or
alcohols, 10 patients are having Krodhaprachurata, All
the patients were consuming mixed diet and all the patients were Married. Of
the 15 patients 05 were mild Hypertensive patients, 05 were moderately
Hypertensive and 02 were severely Hypertensive.
After
giving the drug Kutaki in a dose of 250 mg two times a day for 15 days, it is
observed that mild Hypertensive patients were 08, Moderate- 03 and 1 patient
has got complete relief.
It
is also observed that this drug decreases the symptoms of Shirahshula (50%),
Bhrama (60%), Swasakastata (75%), Shotha (50%), Urahshula (50%).
Symptoms
|
No of patients (percentage)
|
|
Before treatment
|
After treatment
|
|
Shirahshula
|
09 (74.97%)
|
06 (66.66%)
|
Bhrama
|
05 (41.66%)
|
03 (60%)
|
Hriddravata
|
05 (41.66%)
|
03 (60%)
|
Anidra
|
06 (50%)
|
00 (0%)
|
Swasakastata
|
05 (41.66%)
|
04 (75%)
|
Shotha
|
08 (66.66%)
|
04 (50%)
|
Urahshula
|
04 (33.33%)
|
02 (50%)
|
Mild Hypertension
|
05 (41.66%)
|
08 (66.66%)
|
Moderate Hypertension
|
05 (41.66%)
|
03 (25%)
|
Severe Hypertension
|
02 (16.66%)
|
Nil
|
Hypertension
is the disease which, though has not been mentioned directly in Ayurvedic texts
it can be considered as Avrutta vata,
specifically as Pitta-Meda-Raktavrutta -Vyana.
Kutaki
is the drug which has Kapha-Pittahara properties as well as Deepan, Bhedana and
Hrudya karma along with Laghu and Ruksha
guna. Laghu guna is easily digestible and ruksha
guna which absorbs the Kleda
of Medadusti, Pittadusti and relives obstruction. So the
drug was taken for the study and the study was conducted to know its effects.
From
the above study it was observed that a few symptoms of the hypertension have
reduced but the overall effect showed moderate effect of the Katuki on Hypertension.
From
this study it can be concluded that Kutaki can be used
in the mild to moderate hypertension. As it was a pilot study, the sample size
is very less the experiment has to be conducted in a large sample for the
statistically viability.
I am
thankful to Dr. Prakash Chavan,
Principal, S.C.Mutha Aryangla
Vaidyak Mahavidyalaya for
giving permission to conduct trials in Hospital OPD and also thankful to Dr.Rajendra Gaikwad, OPD Incharge.
References:
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