Oncology in Ayurveda: Concept and Management

Abstract

Cancer is known to mankind since long. The disease has been believed to be difficult to cure, due to uncontrolled cell division. Disease has been described in details as Arbuda in ayurvedic classics. There are four-fold treatments for Arbuda viz., Aushadha (medicinal management with medicinal herbs, polyherbal combinations and herbomineral compounds); Kshara (alkali treatment); Agni Karma; and Shastra (surgical removal of tumour). The selection of medicaments or process depends on the status of patient and disease. Medicinal management or conservative management is opted to increase local host defence and nutritional principle that ensure better tissue health and thus offers resistance to proliferating cancer cells. Unlike other cytotoxic measures herbal medicine have added benefit of improving nutrition to the area affected thus it arrests growth of cancer cells. The other measures can be employed in later stages of disease for detoxicating specific area of tumour.

Keywords: cancer, arbuda, detoxicating, tumour, herbomineral compounds

Cite this Article

Shukla N. Oncology in Ayurveda: Concept and Management. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Pharmacognosy. 2016; 3(3): 19–23p.