Evaluation of Guduchi Yoga In the Management of Vatarakta (Gouty Arthritis)- A Clinical Study

<p>The joint diseases are becoming the main health problem in the present era. Vatarakta is one of the main articular diseases, which is characterized by severe pain, tenderness, inflammation and burning sensation in the affected joints. It is a tridoshaja vyadhi , with vata pradhanyata and rakta as main dushya. Small joints of feet and hands are mainly affected in Vatarakta. Sedentary lifestyle is one of the etiological factors of Vatarakta. The etiology and Symptomatology of Gout is very much simiar to that of Vatarakta. Gout can be defined as the pathological reaction of joint or periarticular tissues which results from deposition of Monosodium urate monohydrate crystals in joints and tissues. Hyperurecemia can occur due to overproduction or under excretion of uric acid. In Ayurvedic dassics, although we find plenty of dravyas for joint disorders, the area of&nbsp; joint diseases management still remains to be elusive. Therefore, there is a definite need to explore more efficacious and radical cure to this chronic progressive illness. Guduchi (Ttnospora cordifolia Willd) is one such drug which is the drug of choice in the treatment of Vatarakta and according to the recent research claims cucumber juice extract (Cucumis sativus Linn) is proven to be effective in the management of Gout. Hence the present clinical study aims to evaluate the efficacy of combined effect of 'Guduchi extract and cucumber juice extract' in the management of Vatarakta (Gouty arthritis).</p> <p><strong>Objectives:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Toevaluate the therapeutic effect of Guduchi Yoga in bringing about remission of the symptoms/illness in the patients suffering from Vatarakta (Gouty arthritis)</li> <li>To evaluate the efficacy of Guduchi Yoga in hyperurecemia.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> lt is a randomized single blind study with pre-test and post-test design. In this study 20 patients diagnosed as Vatarakta and met the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for acute Gouty arthritis were subjected to the clinical study. Detailed profile which incorporated relevant data like symptomatology, physical signs and investigation reports were considered for assessment criteria. The Guduchi Yoga (Aqueous extract of Guduchi and Trapusha) was administered to patients of either sex in the dosage of 1gm BID with luke warm water after food for 12 weeks(3 months).</p> <p><strong>Observation and Results : </strong>ln the present dinical study it was observed that Guduchi Yoga proved to possess statistically significant results in bringing out remission of the symptoms of patients suffering from Vatarakta (Gouty arthritis) followed by feeling of general wellbeing. It was also observed that the test drug helped in attaining normal serum uric acid levels after the treatment for 12 weeks.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> From the present study it can be concluded that the combined effect of Guduchi and Trapusha extracts showed promising results with the above said criteria ofassessment without any untoward effects.</p>