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Rasayana: An Introduction

Published On: June 15, 2009, 2:54 am
By Staff Writer

 

Rasayana

 

 



‘Boost your life with herbal immune builders’
 
 
Rasayana is responsible for longevity, memory, intelligence, health, youth, complexion, melodious voice, strength of body, sense organs, vigour and vitality.
The best way to explain rasayana is supplementation of all the seven dhatus. It deals with rejuvenation of physical body and well being of psyche (mind).
 
 MODES:
 
1.            Ahaar (food)
2.            Vihar (environment)
3.            Aachaar (conduct)
 
 
Classification:
 
1.            Kamya Rasayana
2.            Naimittik Rasayana

 

 

Kamya RASAYANA
‘Herbs can give you intelligence, beauty and long healthy life’   
The rasayanas help us in fulfilling the natural desires inherent in all humans.
1.         Pranakamya (Longetivity)
2.         Vayasthapan (Rejuvenation)
3.         Medha Kamya (Intellect promoting)
4.         Varna (Complexion)   

 

 

Naimittik Rasayana
‘Supple up body with herbal nutrition’
The rasayanas that are used to meet specific demand are called Naimittik Rasayana. This rasayana serves as a naimitta (specific) to meet a patient’s requirement of extra nutrition to treat a particular disease in order to restore health.

 

Types:
  • Vatatpik (OPD based)-Rasayana used in daily routine.
  • Kutipraveshik (Indoor based) - Rasayana used in designer room. (Kuti)
 
Poshak Rasayana (Nutritional)
These are the rasayanas that provide nutrition to rasvahe, raktavahe, maansvahe, medvahe, asthivahe, majjavahe, shukravahe strotas (circulatory channels in the body).
 
Agnivardhak
These rasayanas work at the level of agni (jathragani, bile juices, metabolism) and dhatvagni (absorption of nutrients)
They act as strotas shodhak (purification of micro channels).
When rasayanas supple upon the micro-circulation of body and act as cure to balance the hormonal secretions.
 
Immunopharmacology
It is the effective combination of basic principles of immunology and pharmacology to promote the treatment of human diseases.
 
Immunomodulators
These are the agents (pharmacological) used as mediators of immune responses which combine the efforts of immunology, pathology and pharmacology. Thus the procedure that can alter the immune system by interfering with its function is called immunomodulation. When this modulation is made to happen it may result in suppression or stimulation of immunological reactivity.
Certain process can even normalize or modulate the pathophysiological processes of immune system. (A network of positive and negative feed back loops that act by recreation of numerous cytokines).
 
Immune Homeostasis And Rasayanas.
The immune system is a regulated network that balances body. The immune homeostasis under normal physiological conditions when the human body system is challenged by foreign antigen, specific appropriate responses initiate that aim to restore homeostasis.
If this balance is not maintained the immune responses either under-reacts or overreacts.
For example,in condition of malignancy, immune response is suppressed. It overreacts in auto immune disorders.
 
Rasayana Drugs
Withania (somnifera), Tinospora (cardifolia) Asparagus racemosus (immunity boosting herbs) fall under this category.
 
Cytotoxic Vs Cytoprotective
The Chemotherapeutic agents like anti cancer drugs are immunosuppressant, cytotoxic and can cause a variety of unwanted side effects. Thus they act as cytotoxic drugs.
 
Cytoprotective herbs-
An article by M.F. Arredand, F. Blasina “Cytoprotection by Achyrocline satureiodiels (Lam) D.C. and some of its main flavnoids against its exudative stress.”
Studies indicate that dietary anti oxidants can influence the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases. Flavnoids among them have been proposed to be cytoprotectors. Herbs with high concentration of Achyrocline satureioides, Ginkgo Bilbao and Epilobium parviforum have the cytoprotective capacity.
The usefulness of Withania Somnifera in immune stimulation, cyperus rotundas in gastric ulceration, Lycium barbarum in stress on endoplasmic rectum, Glycrrhazae radix extract in Arsenite induced toxicity are proved and further research is on.
 
Traditions to Transformation
Many botanical preparations alter immune function and cause immunomodulatory effect. Astroagalus membraneous is aChinese herb, which increases the defense mechanism of body. This herb has shown in vitro and vivo immunonodulating and immunorestorative effects. Influx of confirm in register into the peritoneal cavity and phagocytic activity of microphages were found to be enhanced in vivo while increase in interleukin to receptor expression was found in vitro.

 

 

Hence, the herbal medicines have been reported to modulate cytokine secretion, histamine release, immunoglobulin secretion, class switching, cellular co-reception expression, lymphocyte expression, Phagocytosis in various in vitro and vivo studies.