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.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Popularity of Herbal Medicines - Alternative Medicines
The year 1994 has been a good year of progress and more informed use of alternative medicine. Several new products from plants have been put in the marketer for use by doctors- taxol for ovarian cancer, ginger for nausea after chemotherapy are two examples. The anti-malaria drug artemesenin from the Chinese plant quing hao tsu has reached India and is being tested in Assam and Orissa. It has been found effective without any side effects, and is available throughout the country. World over there is an increasing use of herbal medicines.
In China alone the sale of herbal products amounted to 1.7 billion dollars out of which medicines worth 400 million dollars was exported only to the United States. In the United States the sales of herbal medicines increased by about 15 per cent while the increase in the sales of pharmaceutical preparations is around 4 per cent. Pharmaceutical houses are now actively carrying out research on medicinal plants. Glaxo, SmithKline and Beecham, and Merck, are back in this field. New pharmaceutical houses have been set up to work mainly on plants.
The changes envisaged in the international proprietary rights after adopting the Dunkel proposals will make it inevitable for Indian pharmaceutical houses to support research in a truly big way. While it may not be possible for them to compete internationally in developing synthetic drugs it is possible, if they support research in the way needed, for them to discover medicines from the medicinal plants available and used in India. It would enable this country to benefit from the new patent rights situation which will come into force in a few years. Several interesting developments have taken place outside India. A Chair in Complementary Medicine has been set up in Europe.
More and more articles have been published in medical and anthropological journals suggesting that work is needed in the field of traditional medicines. It appears that the developed countries have realised the potential value of systems such as Ayurveda, Unani. Siddha, Homeopathy, the Chinese system of traditional medicine and Japanese Kampo medicines.
The Indian Council of Medical Research is going ahead with its disease oriented programme in clinical evaluation of ancient remedies. Already, it has been clearly demonstrated that a medicated thread coated with three plant substances is an alternative to surgery in case of anal fistula. Together with the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, it has been demonstrated that Picrorhazia kurroa is effective in hepatitis clinically.
A methodology still has to be set up to record and then investigate selectively, cures that have been reported all over the country with herbal medicines. An aggressive programme needs to be intiated to see that we preserve the bio-diversity. We also have to look into the legal position regarding use of traditional medicines by allopathic practitioners and the use of allopathic medicines by traditional practitioners. The first such case has already been taken to the consumer’s forum. It is a case of a homepath using allopathic medicines.
This issue needs careful thinking, especially since in many of our national programme, we are encouraging use of selected allopathic drugs by people who are not doctors. Is there a distinction between an Ayurvedic practitioner practicing allopathy, which is illegal, and using medicines developed for use in allopathy after learning about these drugs and vice versa. Wider implications of health care and the potential of alternative systems of medicine need to be discussed.
In China alone the sale of herbal products amounted to 1.7 billion dollars out of which medicines worth 400 million dollars was exported only to the United States. In the United States the sales of herbal medicines increased by about 15 per cent while the increase in the sales of pharmaceutical preparations is around 4 per cent. Pharmaceutical houses are now actively carrying out research on medicinal plants. Glaxo, SmithKline and Beecham, and Merck, are back in this field. New pharmaceutical houses have been set up to work mainly on plants.
The changes envisaged in the international proprietary rights after adopting the Dunkel proposals will make it inevitable for Indian pharmaceutical houses to support research in a truly big way. While it may not be possible for them to compete internationally in developing synthetic drugs it is possible, if they support research in the way needed, for them to discover medicines from the medicinal plants available and used in India. It would enable this country to benefit from the new patent rights situation which will come into force in a few years. Several interesting developments have taken place outside India. A Chair in Complementary Medicine has been set up in Europe.
More and more articles have been published in medical and anthropological journals suggesting that work is needed in the field of traditional medicines. It appears that the developed countries have realised the potential value of systems such as Ayurveda, Unani. Siddha, Homeopathy, the Chinese system of traditional medicine and Japanese Kampo medicines.
The Indian Council of Medical Research is going ahead with its disease oriented programme in clinical evaluation of ancient remedies. Already, it has been clearly demonstrated that a medicated thread coated with three plant substances is an alternative to surgery in case of anal fistula. Together with the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, it has been demonstrated that Picrorhazia kurroa is effective in hepatitis clinically.
A methodology still has to be set up to record and then investigate selectively, cures that have been reported all over the country with herbal medicines. An aggressive programme needs to be intiated to see that we preserve the bio-diversity. We also have to look into the legal position regarding use of traditional medicines by allopathic practitioners and the use of allopathic medicines by traditional practitioners. The first such case has already been taken to the consumer’s forum. It is a case of a homepath using allopathic medicines.
This issue needs careful thinking, especially since in many of our national programme, we are encouraging use of selected allopathic drugs by people who are not doctors. Is there a distinction between an Ayurvedic practitioner practicing allopathy, which is illegal, and using medicines developed for use in allopathy after learning about these drugs and vice versa. Wider implications of health care and the potential of alternative systems of medicine need to be discussed.
Ayurvedic Unani Medicine becoming Popular in England
During a visit to England, the use of alternative medicines, particularly ayurvedic, unani and home remedies, by the ethnic. Asian population in England was discussed by the author on several occasions. A leading consultant in general practice in London, Dr James Bevan, who has in his practice treated many people of different nationalites and background, said that it is very difficult to know from the patients or form the tablets and capsules what plants and herbs constituted the medicines they had been taking.
This made it difficult to treat such patients if they came in with some complaints or if allopathic medicines had to be given as there may be reaction between the two. It is important that people going for a visit to western countries keep a note of what medicines they had been taking and also practitioner in the United Kingdom would have no idea how to deal with a patient who comes in with complaints possibly caused by a medicine about which he knows nothing.
Dr Bevan further stressed the point that medicinal plants are the source of several medicines widely used today in allopathic medicine system, for example, digitalis for heart disease. These medicines induce side effects if not used properly, therefore he felt that the herbal medicines used by his patients could also perhaps cause side effects if not used in the right way It would therefore be of advantage to the patient and his general practitioner in UK if he knew exactly what herbal medicines he had been taking.
Sir Colin Dollery, Dean of the prestigious Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital and one of the world’s leading clinical pharmacologists brought up the issue of the standardization for herbal remedies. According to him, it was very important that quality control of the herbal preparations being used anywhere should be rigidly carried out. Both the author and Sir Colin Dollery felt that thousands of the emigrant population living in the United Kingdom probably still continue to use the traditional remedies they had been using in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Interestingly the same point about quality control was forcefully made in The Lancet of 9 July 1994 by J Bjorkhem and his colleagues from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
These scientists collected fifty commercial samples of ginseng sold in eleven countries and tested these for the presence of ginsenosides which are the compounds present in ginseng and thought to be responsible for its beneficial therapeutic effect. Suprisingly six of the commercial preparations sold in Sweden, USA and UK did not contain any specific ginesenosides at all. In the remaining fourty-four samples, the concentration of ginesonosides varied from 1.9 per cent to 9.0 per cent. The authors conclude that quality control is urgently needed for commercial ginseng preparations and other natural remedies. Both the issue of possible side effects of herbal preparations and the need for standardization of such preparations were also discussed at a
seminar given by the author at the Department of Pharmacology, Oxford on 12 september, 1994. That there is considerable interest in traditional medicine even in centres of excellence of western science and medicine could be seen by the interesting discussion which followed this seminar on “Research on medicinal plants in the twenty first century”. Prof. A David Smith, a leading international research worker in the field of neuropharmacology, now working actively to find a cure for Alzheimers disease, is Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford, conducted the seminar.
Questions from the scientists included the potential cost of herbal preparations after standardization, whether urban migration in India would lead to a decrease in the use of herbal preparations, whether research being conducted to discover new medicines from age appropriately, whether combination of herbs actually used were also being tested out scientifically and finally what were the chances of new drugs being discovered from medicinal plants in the coming years.
This made it difficult to treat such patients if they came in with some complaints or if allopathic medicines had to be given as there may be reaction between the two. It is important that people going for a visit to western countries keep a note of what medicines they had been taking and also practitioner in the United Kingdom would have no idea how to deal with a patient who comes in with complaints possibly caused by a medicine about which he knows nothing.
Dr Bevan further stressed the point that medicinal plants are the source of several medicines widely used today in allopathic medicine system, for example, digitalis for heart disease. These medicines induce side effects if not used properly, therefore he felt that the herbal medicines used by his patients could also perhaps cause side effects if not used in the right way It would therefore be of advantage to the patient and his general practitioner in UK if he knew exactly what herbal medicines he had been taking.
Sir Colin Dollery, Dean of the prestigious Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital and one of the world’s leading clinical pharmacologists brought up the issue of the standardization for herbal remedies. According to him, it was very important that quality control of the herbal preparations being used anywhere should be rigidly carried out. Both the author and Sir Colin Dollery felt that thousands of the emigrant population living in the United Kingdom probably still continue to use the traditional remedies they had been using in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Interestingly the same point about quality control was forcefully made in The Lancet of 9 July 1994 by J Bjorkhem and his colleagues from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
These scientists collected fifty commercial samples of ginseng sold in eleven countries and tested these for the presence of ginsenosides which are the compounds present in ginseng and thought to be responsible for its beneficial therapeutic effect. Suprisingly six of the commercial preparations sold in Sweden, USA and UK did not contain any specific ginesenosides at all. In the remaining fourty-four samples, the concentration of ginesonosides varied from 1.9 per cent to 9.0 per cent. The authors conclude that quality control is urgently needed for commercial ginseng preparations and other natural remedies. Both the issue of possible side effects of herbal preparations and the need for standardization of such preparations were also discussed at a
seminar given by the author at the Department of Pharmacology, Oxford on 12 september, 1994. That there is considerable interest in traditional medicine even in centres of excellence of western science and medicine could be seen by the interesting discussion which followed this seminar on “Research on medicinal plants in the twenty first century”. Prof. A David Smith, a leading international research worker in the field of neuropharmacology, now working actively to find a cure for Alzheimers disease, is Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford, conducted the seminar.
Questions from the scientists included the potential cost of herbal preparations after standardization, whether urban migration in India would lead to a decrease in the use of herbal preparations, whether research being conducted to discover new medicines from age appropriately, whether combination of herbs actually used were also being tested out scientifically and finally what were the chances of new drugs being discovered from medicinal plants in the coming years.
Neem as a Disinfectant and an Analgesic
The newspapers reported recently that Dr T.R.Govindachari and his colleagues at the SPIC Science Foundation had, for the first time, by use of different solvents and X-ray crystallography, have been able to obtain crystals of Azadirchtin A- the active substance from Azadirachta indica (neem) being used worldwide as a insect repellent. The patenting of Azadirachtin A by E. Larsen of Grace Company, USA has raised considerable protest in India. The author took the opportunity during a visit to Madras to discuss some of these issues with Dr M.D. Nair, senior executive director of SPIC and Dr Govindachari. In the early sixties, a group of scientists were brought together by a pharmaceutical house to establish a centre of excellence at Bombay.
These included Dr Govindachar, Dr Nair, the author and several others who are now scattered all over the world. One of the areas the interest, even in those early days, was the possible discovery of new drugs from Indian medicinal plants. Sometime ago, there were statements on ‘neem’ by the then Indian Commerece Minister, the Director General of Health Services, the Magsaysay awardee, Dr Mira Shiva and many others at New Delhi since the GATT agreement was to be signed at that time. In reply to the author’s request for comments. Dr Nair said, “Neem is a national asset for countries in this region and for time immemorial, neem has been known to have multifarious pharmacological properties.”
It has been traditionally used in a variety of ways especially as a disinfectant. Neem oil as also been known to have therapeutic properties as an anti-inflammatory analgesic, antipyretic and is used for other conditions. Under the patent regime operating in any county of the world, including the countries with the strongest patents, a naturally occurring plant is per se not patentable. What would be patentable is a derivative product, which is isolated from ‘neem’ which is new and which has much improved properties over the natural ‘neem’.
As far as the protection of the germ plasm of the neem tree is concerned, there has to be a different approach for protection. It can be through legislation of through commercial agreement with interested parties – whatsoever the approach, it must ensure that the benefits are passed on to the country if the germ plasm is available only in that country. There are very strong moves being initiated by developing countries in this direction and this issue was debated and discussed at Rio. Dr Nair’s reactions will give readers a clearer picture of this confusing situation. Dr Govindachari pleaded for more work to be carried out on different aspects of neem in the country as there are still many avenues of research to be carried out. More support was necessary for such work. He provided the fascinating information that the very first scientific papers on the anti-feedant activity of neem was published around 1968 by scientists at the Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu.
These observations which came out in Report of the Regional Research Laboratory and in Farm Sciences were not noticed. It was only a few years ago that Dr Morgan rediscovered this property of neem at the laboratories in Germany and revolutionized the scientific use of neem. One wonders whether there are any other search papers from Indian scientists tucked away in our journals which also remain to be rediscovered.
It may well be worth for our scientists and science administrators to look again at what has been published in the last forty years and pick out likely leads for follow-up. As regards his own discovery of the crystals, Dr Govindachari was characteristically modest, saying that it was partly the fact that he actually worked at the laboratory bench every-day which made it possible for him to make this finding. It was refreshing to meet such an infectiously enthusiastic scientist who at the age of seventy plus still works at the laboratory bench everyday.
These included Dr Govindachar, Dr Nair, the author and several others who are now scattered all over the world. One of the areas the interest, even in those early days, was the possible discovery of new drugs from Indian medicinal plants. Sometime ago, there were statements on ‘neem’ by the then Indian Commerece Minister, the Director General of Health Services, the Magsaysay awardee, Dr Mira Shiva and many others at New Delhi since the GATT agreement was to be signed at that time. In reply to the author’s request for comments. Dr Nair said, “Neem is a national asset for countries in this region and for time immemorial, neem has been known to have multifarious pharmacological properties.”
It has been traditionally used in a variety of ways especially as a disinfectant. Neem oil as also been known to have therapeutic properties as an anti-inflammatory analgesic, antipyretic and is used for other conditions. Under the patent regime operating in any county of the world, including the countries with the strongest patents, a naturally occurring plant is per se not patentable. What would be patentable is a derivative product, which is isolated from ‘neem’ which is new and which has much improved properties over the natural ‘neem’.
As far as the protection of the germ plasm of the neem tree is concerned, there has to be a different approach for protection. It can be through legislation of through commercial agreement with interested parties – whatsoever the approach, it must ensure that the benefits are passed on to the country if the germ plasm is available only in that country. There are very strong moves being initiated by developing countries in this direction and this issue was debated and discussed at Rio. Dr Nair’s reactions will give readers a clearer picture of this confusing situation. Dr Govindachari pleaded for more work to be carried out on different aspects of neem in the country as there are still many avenues of research to be carried out. More support was necessary for such work. He provided the fascinating information that the very first scientific papers on the anti-feedant activity of neem was published around 1968 by scientists at the Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu.
These observations which came out in Report of the Regional Research Laboratory and in Farm Sciences were not noticed. It was only a few years ago that Dr Morgan rediscovered this property of neem at the laboratories in Germany and revolutionized the scientific use of neem. One wonders whether there are any other search papers from Indian scientists tucked away in our journals which also remain to be rediscovered.
It may well be worth for our scientists and science administrators to look again at what has been published in the last forty years and pick out likely leads for follow-up. As regards his own discovery of the crystals, Dr Govindachari was characteristically modest, saying that it was partly the fact that he actually worked at the laboratory bench every-day which made it possible for him to make this finding. It was refreshing to meet such an infectiously enthusiastic scientist who at the age of seventy plus still works at the laboratory bench everyday.
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.
Treatment with Haldi - Turmeric : Effective Natural Treatments
Curcuma longa, commonly known as haldi in India , a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, ranks as an equal to the potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents now in the market.
Anti-inflammatory agents, as the name implies, are treatment used for all types inflammation. This could be inflammation caused by a sprained ankle on the football field or inflammation causing acute back pain or an inflammation of a bad tooth. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents are one of the most used and most prescribed type of drugs. The expenditure on these drugs in all hospitals is escalating and together with its widespread use there is considerable misuse and abuse. These drugs all cause gastric irritation, should never be taken by patients who have peptic ulcer and should be used with great caution by patients who have tendency towards acidity.
At a meeting held at Bandung, Indonesia, from 24-26 January 1994 the very first paper was on the anti-inflammatory property of curcuma. A drug was prepared by taking active part of two curcuma species and this was administered to sixty osteoarthritic patients who had inflammation of the joints. The trial was a double blind one in that neither the doctor not the patient knew which patient was receiving the drug and which patent was receiving the placebo, which was the “dummy” drug.
The investigators observed that the anti-inflammatory effect of the haldi preparation was as good as one of the modern synthetic drug – Piroxicam. The active substance in haldo or Curcuma longa is curcumin. Several research workers in India have already demonstrated the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin in experimental animals, carried out in the early seventies. However, after these initially interesting results there has been a comparative lull in research on Curcuma longa and its is only recently that clinical trials have been started on the effect of Curcuma longa in patients with inflammation.
There is no reason why a simple preparation of Curcuma longa cannot be used even now at the primary health centres for the treatment of local inflammatory conditions where a paste of Curcuma longa could be applied externally. In fact, this was the standard treatment given to injuries sustained on the playing fields in my school days – and this was nearly fifty years ago.
Meanwhile, acute and subacute toxicology studies should be carried out with parts of the curcuma plant which are found to be the most active. If these studies indicate that the substances are non toxic then these should be administered to patients under controlled conditions.
Earlier one would not have thought of patents and international proprietary rights on plants and herbs used for therapeutic purpose for centuries in India. The recent experience of neem has however aroused awareness both among our scientists and in our public. Efforts should therefore be made to obtain the appropriate patents by the scientists and institutions who are working on Curcuma longa and are publishing results in scientific journals. Some help from the government at this juncture would be welcome and could yield rich dividends for the country.
Anti-inflammatory agents, as the name implies, are treatment used for all types inflammation. This could be inflammation caused by a sprained ankle on the football field or inflammation causing acute back pain or an inflammation of a bad tooth. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents are one of the most used and most prescribed type of drugs. The expenditure on these drugs in all hospitals is escalating and together with its widespread use there is considerable misuse and abuse. These drugs all cause gastric irritation, should never be taken by patients who have peptic ulcer and should be used with great caution by patients who have tendency towards acidity.
At a meeting held at Bandung, Indonesia, from 24-26 January 1994 the very first paper was on the anti-inflammatory property of curcuma. A drug was prepared by taking active part of two curcuma species and this was administered to sixty osteoarthritic patients who had inflammation of the joints. The trial was a double blind one in that neither the doctor not the patient knew which patient was receiving the drug and which patent was receiving the placebo, which was the “dummy” drug.
The investigators observed that the anti-inflammatory effect of the haldi preparation was as good as one of the modern synthetic drug – Piroxicam. The active substance in haldo or Curcuma longa is curcumin. Several research workers in India have already demonstrated the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin in experimental animals, carried out in the early seventies. However, after these initially interesting results there has been a comparative lull in research on Curcuma longa and its is only recently that clinical trials have been started on the effect of Curcuma longa in patients with inflammation.
There is no reason why a simple preparation of Curcuma longa cannot be used even now at the primary health centres for the treatment of local inflammatory conditions where a paste of Curcuma longa could be applied externally. In fact, this was the standard treatment given to injuries sustained on the playing fields in my school days – and this was nearly fifty years ago.
Meanwhile, acute and subacute toxicology studies should be carried out with parts of the curcuma plant which are found to be the most active. If these studies indicate that the substances are non toxic then these should be administered to patients under controlled conditions.
Earlier one would not have thought of patents and international proprietary rights on plants and herbs used for therapeutic purpose for centuries in India. The recent experience of neem has however aroused awareness both among our scientists and in our public. Efforts should therefore be made to obtain the appropriate patents by the scientists and institutions who are working on Curcuma longa and are publishing results in scientific journals. Some help from the government at this juncture would be welcome and could yield rich dividends for the country.
Heal Wounds - The Vedic Way
Wound healing is an area where traditional medicine could have much to offer. On 28 and 29 August 1994 a satellite meeting of the European Tissue Repair Society was held at the Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in England. The rationale of the meeting was well expressed in the title of the first paper – “Why should wound healers of the western world be interested in traditional medicine of the developing world” – presented by Professor Terence Ryan of the Department of Dermatology. While the United Kingdom, USA CHINA, Syria Vietnam and Zimbabwe participated in the meeting, there was no representative from India.
The invitation by a specialised group in western medicine to experts in traditional medicine research is a step in the right direction. Similar meetings have been held in India where experts made presentation on what traditional medicine had to offer in the areas of diabetes, gastroenterology and obstetrics and gynaecology. Such meetings may not have immediate visible effects but we now have evidence that these interactions certainly have a long term effect by increasing awareness and by inspiring a few clinical investigators to work in traditional medicine- particularly in the evaluation of herbal remedies.
There are several plants in India which have been mentioned in the Ayurveda as having a beneficial effect on wound healing. Much research has been carried out on this subject on experimental animals although good clinical trials have not yet been published. A centre where much work has been carried out in the past is the research was published in 1970 in review entitled “Wound healing under the influence of certain indigenous drugs in the book advances in Research in Indian Medicine.
The sunflower plant, Helianthus annus, has been mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts by Sushruta as having a beneficial effect on wounds. This was confirmed in experimental studies. An extract of the plant was prepared after which a 5 per cent ointment was prepared with Vaseline. This ointment certainly demonstrated wound healing properties as there was a significant reduction in the total healing period after the application of the ointment. Another plant substance used for treating wounds in South India is Morellin from a plant called Garcinia morella. Morellin was effective in inducing wound healing in animals when applied to the experimental excised wound.
Another plant which is reputed for its wound healing is Jasmina auriculatum. Sushruta has specifically mentioned its beneficial effect in eye ulcers. Fresh juice of the plant was applied to the experimental wound and a therapeutic effect was seen. Professor Deshpande and his colleagues concluded that the juice contained some substance which enhanced wound healing. A fourth plant which again demonstrated wound healing activity was Vernonia cineria given in a juice from.
The invitation by a specialised group in western medicine to experts in traditional medicine research is a step in the right direction. Similar meetings have been held in India where experts made presentation on what traditional medicine had to offer in the areas of diabetes, gastroenterology and obstetrics and gynaecology. Such meetings may not have immediate visible effects but we now have evidence that these interactions certainly have a long term effect by increasing awareness and by inspiring a few clinical investigators to work in traditional medicine- particularly in the evaluation of herbal remedies.
There are several plants in India which have been mentioned in the Ayurveda as having a beneficial effect on wound healing. Much research has been carried out on this subject on experimental animals although good clinical trials have not yet been published. A centre where much work has been carried out in the past is the research was published in 1970 in review entitled “Wound healing under the influence of certain indigenous drugs in the book advances in Research in Indian Medicine.
The sunflower plant, Helianthus annus, has been mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts by Sushruta as having a beneficial effect on wounds. This was confirmed in experimental studies. An extract of the plant was prepared after which a 5 per cent ointment was prepared with Vaseline. This ointment certainly demonstrated wound healing properties as there was a significant reduction in the total healing period after the application of the ointment. Another plant substance used for treating wounds in South India is Morellin from a plant called Garcinia morella. Morellin was effective in inducing wound healing in animals when applied to the experimental excised wound.
Another plant which is reputed for its wound healing is Jasmina auriculatum. Sushruta has specifically mentioned its beneficial effect in eye ulcers. Fresh juice of the plant was applied to the experimental wound and a therapeutic effect was seen. Professor Deshpande and his colleagues concluded that the juice contained some substance which enhanced wound healing. A fourth plant which again demonstrated wound healing activity was Vernonia cineria given in a juice from.