Medicines from plants, for specific disease that have a beneficial effect, will only be discovered if attempts are made to look for such specific property. For example, while several laboratories are testing plants for their effect on diabetes very few laboratories, if any, are actively looking for an effective medicine from plants for diarrhoea. It is therefore much more likely that a discovery will be made of an anti-diabetic plant medicine rather than one for diarrhoea. Readers would be interested, therefore, to know in which diseases a breakthrough could be expected.
The work being carried out on plants at the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow and under the auspices of the Indian Council of Medical Research has recently been described in the annual reports of these organisations and gave us an insight as to what work is being carried out. Liver disease is one area where much work has been carried out and the beneficial effect of the plant Picrorhazia kurroa has been clearly demonstrated.
This plant protects injury to the liver from harmful substances. A substance which will probably be effective in treating acute and sub acute hepatitis has been isolated and patented under the name of Picroliv. The drugs Controller of India has looked at the results and has approved clinical evaluation of this substance for phase II trails in patients with liver disease. This plant is commonly known as kutki.
The search for plants which could lower the lipid and cholesterol level in blood is still on, although one preparation – guggulipid – has already been put in the market from the plant Commifera wightii known as guggal.
One plant has shown, at the Lucknow laboratories, interesting activity against Brugia malayi which is the causative agent responsible for the disease known as filarial. Filaria is widely present in some parts of India and a cheap effective antifilaria plant – based drug would be highly welcome. One of the consequences of filarial is the condition known as elephantiasis where the limbs become grossly swollen.
Some early activity has been found in a plant which, in experimental animals, could dissolve bladder stones. Recently the Central Drug Research Institute announced the early discovery of a very interesting activity of the plant Centella asiatica known as brahmi which could be used for treating disorders of the central nervous system and more specifically for enhancing memory in the ageing population. The drug consists of bacosides A and B isolated from this plant. The Indian Council of Medical Research concentrates on clinical evaluation of traditional medicines.
One finding, described earlier, is the beneficial effect of a medicated thread for treatment of fistula-in-ano. This is an alternative to surgery which is the standard treatment today in allopathic hospitals. The work on picrorhazia kurroa was the result of the collaborative effort between the two organizations.
The report of the Indian Council of Medical Research mentions that work is being carried out with the plant Pterocarpus marsupium, commonly known as Vijayasar, on patients with diabetes. There is also activity in the specific areas of bronchial asthma, kidney stones and, of course, viral hepatitis.
The Indian Council of Medical Research concentrates on clinical trials of traditional medicines mentioned in ancient books and those plants being widely used today. It is supported by all the different activities which are necessary for carrying out clinical trials.
The Central Drug Research Institute concentrates on laboratory screening of plants, followed up by toxicological studies of interesting plants which are further clinically evaluated, if necessary. Together they represent a considerable force for drug development from medicinal plan. These activities are still further complemented by the activities of the Central Council of Research in Ayurveda and Siddha and the Central Council of Research in Unani Medicine. Perhaps the time may not be far off, when all these activities could be brought together in National Institute for Research in Traditional Medicine.
Showing posts with label effective medicines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label effective medicines. Show all posts
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Rising Popularity of Tibetan Medicine
The centre of Tibetan medicine in India is Dharamsala where the chief physician to His Highness the Dalai Lama and several specialists in Tibetan medicine not only practice but also teach Tibetan medicine to students who are beings trained as doctors. The students, besides learning the science of medicine also learn how to recognise medicinal plants which are used in their practice and to prepare such medicines. Tibetan medicine is becoming more and more popular in this country and there are several clinics catering to the people in many cities. A patient at these clinics is diagnosed and receives the medicine, all in the course of a few hours. Diagnosis is made in two ways – by studying the pulse and looking at the morning urine sample.
The author had the privilege of arranging a visit of Amachis Tenzin Choedrag, the chief physician to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama to the National Institute of Immunology and of watching him make his examination. Without taking a history of the ailments-which he did later – he would, on the basis of the pulse and urine examination, make a remarkable diagnosis about the troubles of the patients.
The fundamental concepts of Tibetan medicine are described in Sman Rtzis the journal published by the Tibetan Medical and Astra Institute, Dharamsala. Tibetan medicine starts with the basic premise that the human organism is a composite whole of both mind and matter. The three poisons of the mind explain the origin of the disorders of the mind. The three poisons of the mind are known as Dug-g-Sum while the Byung-ba-Inga theory explains the disorders affecting the physical body.
In Tibetan Buddhist cosmology five cosmic energies are responsible for bringing about changes. These are the energies of space, air, fire, water and earth. The pathogenesis of all physical afflictions are traced to these five energies which are responsible for the material causes of diseases such as bacteria and virus or an unhealthy style of living. In Tibetan medicine much emphasis is placed on the mind. Stability of the mind brings about a well being of the body while an unhappy mental condition or mental stress brings about imbalance in the body systems which results in diseases. This concept is being more and more accepted in western or allopathic medicine.
Recently Dean Ornish has demonstrated that physical exercise, meditation and a vegetarian diet can even reverse the changes in the arteries which lead to coronary attacks. It has also been demonstrated that there are several diseases which arise because of mental stress and anxiety. These include coronary artery disease, bronchial asthma, diabetes and surprisingly, some forms and cancer.
During the time when Lhasa used to be the world’s centre of Tibetan medicine, there used to be 400 medicines made from plants. These medicines were prepared mainly from plants collected in Tibet at Drag Yerpa and in Dohthey. For two months the doctors and their students would collect the herbs and bring them to the monasteries to prepare the
medicines. Today, about 130 different kinds of medicines are prepared in India and supplied to the different clinics throughout the country. Collection of plants is done in India in the summer months from the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Tibetan medicine has attracted worldwide attention and Dharamsala is constantly visited by international experts in allopathic and alternative medicine. Several research workers from different parts of the world come here to carry out collaborative research or to learn about the treatments offered by Tibetan medicine. Several international conferences have been held on this subject and several books published.
Doctors from Dharamsala travel all over the world to give lectures on Tibetan medicine. We are very fortunate and privileged to have different science of alternative medicine come to us in India. It is important that we also learn more about this ancient system of medicine and try to benefit form it to provide better service to the humanity at large.
The author had the privilege of arranging a visit of Amachis Tenzin Choedrag, the chief physician to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama to the National Institute of Immunology and of watching him make his examination. Without taking a history of the ailments-which he did later – he would, on the basis of the pulse and urine examination, make a remarkable diagnosis about the troubles of the patients.
The fundamental concepts of Tibetan medicine are described in Sman Rtzis the journal published by the Tibetan Medical and Astra Institute, Dharamsala. Tibetan medicine starts with the basic premise that the human organism is a composite whole of both mind and matter. The three poisons of the mind explain the origin of the disorders of the mind. The three poisons of the mind are known as Dug-g-Sum while the Byung-ba-Inga theory explains the disorders affecting the physical body.
In Tibetan Buddhist cosmology five cosmic energies are responsible for bringing about changes. These are the energies of space, air, fire, water and earth. The pathogenesis of all physical afflictions are traced to these five energies which are responsible for the material causes of diseases such as bacteria and virus or an unhealthy style of living. In Tibetan medicine much emphasis is placed on the mind. Stability of the mind brings about a well being of the body while an unhappy mental condition or mental stress brings about imbalance in the body systems which results in diseases. This concept is being more and more accepted in western or allopathic medicine.
Recently Dean Ornish has demonstrated that physical exercise, meditation and a vegetarian diet can even reverse the changes in the arteries which lead to coronary attacks. It has also been demonstrated that there are several diseases which arise because of mental stress and anxiety. These include coronary artery disease, bronchial asthma, diabetes and surprisingly, some forms and cancer.
During the time when Lhasa used to be the world’s centre of Tibetan medicine, there used to be 400 medicines made from plants. These medicines were prepared mainly from plants collected in Tibet at Drag Yerpa and in Dohthey. For two months the doctors and their students would collect the herbs and bring them to the monasteries to prepare the
medicines. Today, about 130 different kinds of medicines are prepared in India and supplied to the different clinics throughout the country. Collection of plants is done in India in the summer months from the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Tibetan medicine has attracted worldwide attention and Dharamsala is constantly visited by international experts in allopathic and alternative medicine. Several research workers from different parts of the world come here to carry out collaborative research or to learn about the treatments offered by Tibetan medicine. Several international conferences have been held on this subject and several books published.
Doctors from Dharamsala travel all over the world to give lectures on Tibetan medicine. We are very fortunate and privileged to have different science of alternative medicine come to us in India. It is important that we also learn more about this ancient system of medicine and try to benefit form it to provide better service to the humanity at large.