The Indian Traditional Mode of Treatment for VIRAL DISEASE

A New Look

“The aim of science,” says a noted scientist, T. A. Thomson “is to describe the impersonal facts of experiences in verifiable terms as exactly as possible and as completely as possible.”

The modern methodology for the treatment of pathological conditions, i.e. allopathy is supposed to be the most effective system of treatment. However, one may ask, on what ground, I am saying so, and the answer will be the popularity. Further, one may ask if popularity is the criteria then, what about the consumption of carbonated cold drinks? And really, I love, not to answer this. Therefore, in this post, I shall explore a comparative account between allopathy and Ayurved (not ‘Ayurvda’) for the treatment of a viral disease, by taking an example of POX viruses.

A Brief Note on Small Pox

The virus enters mainly through the respiratory mucosa, but sometimes may be through the skin. It proceeded towards the lymph nodes, and spread to bone marrow and remaining lymph nodes via blood after 3^rd and 4^th day of infection, which causes fever and toxemia on 8^th to 12^th day. Now the virus stabled itself in the blood vessels of the dermis as well as oral mucosa, resulting in the initial enanthem and exanthem, which expanded to the kidneys, liver, spleen on the 14^th day. The swelling of endothelial cell vessel walls, which causes the lesion on the skin. These lesions eventually grow and raptured in due course, make the body of host prone to secondary infection.

An electron micrograph of smallpox virus

Larger number and books are available on the internet, however, a brief account of the virus can be obtained from the link (ʘ). Smallpox is caused by an intracellular mature vaccinia virus or variola virus, which is a dsDNA (186 kbps) virus, covered by the bilayer envelopes (30-nm-thick), which is made up of lipid and protein. The dumbbell-shaped core consists of genetic material along with some 10 enzymes for the expression of the genes, including transcription. It is also called an intracellular naked virus, and its core envelope appears as a smoothly rounded rectangle of size, 350x270 nm (ʘ).

Indian System of Treatment

The first evidence is revealed in Ravan Samihita (uddeesh tantra sahit), scripted by the Ravan himself, which is said to be some more than 5k years ago. However, it is so popular and customary that every lady could know it, automatically, without going through the text. This attribute is only confined among the followers of “Sanatan dhrm”. I personally believe that this very attribute of “Sanatan dhrm”, could be prevailed sustainably, because it is extracted through the sieve of time. This prevalence of facts and procedure, in itself, is evidence of their truthfulness, as time has been certifying it.

The procedure of treatment can be summarized in the following points:

   1.   Keeping the things hygienic in all respect, even no member of the family can go out or anyone shall be welcomed inside the house. For this, the wall and floor of rooms and house are coated with the cow dung and urine.

   2.   Application of Neem on the bed, at which the patient is resting and around the bed also.

   3.   No use of any fatty substance inside the kitchen during the period of infection.

   4.  A light diet is provided to the patient during the infection, and the use of turmeric is especially prohibited.

  5.   At the end of 5^th day, a worship is conducted to the Sheetala Mata with socked gram seed, scarlet and mustard oil.

  6. During the whole period of infection, the environment around the patient is maintained devotional, with an intermittent chanting of devotional songs, which may cause goosebumps, most of the time to the patient.

However, for the present context, the topic shall be divided into the following heading to explain the facts systematically.

     1.      Cow Dung coating

This is a common tradition in Indian society to coat the floor of the house with cow dung and urine coat. This coating is now proven to be good to protect from unwanted radiations (bear in mind that India is the country with hot n cold, both), snakes (as snakes’ tong is sensitive a chemical stimulants) and insects. The slurry of cow dung and urine is said to be antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal (ʘ). It has also been proven that fresh cow dung kills the germs of Malaria and Tuberculosis (G.E. Bea God).

Cow dung is now being applied as wall paint due to its various properties, like insulation, antiseptic and antibacterial and insect repellent etc. (ʘ), established by the by a couple of different groups of workers (ʘ). A large number of the research article by Prof R S Chauhan (ʘ) are published in various and journals sites, stating that cow dung possesses antibacterial, antiviral and immune-stimulant properties. Moreover, the antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic properties of cow urine are established by the various workers in India (ʘ).

     2.     Devotional Songs Act as Immuno-stimulants

Music listening causes the human body deceives to all the symptoms related to emotional arousal (ʘ), which includes, dilation of the eye, the rise in BP, lowering of the electrical conductance of skin and cerebellum eccentrically activated. All these events are termed as tortured by the strings by Schopenhauer. In the experiment using including fMRI and ligand-based positron emission tomography (PET), scanning authors have concluded that a music makes these alterations at a physiological level through certain hormones, dopamine, cortisol etc. (ʘ).

It is surprising, well-established fact that music can induce hormonal changes, responsible for causing an alteration in mood, though the level of dopamine, cortisol, and oxytocin (ʘ). Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, which body dump it in both the dorsal and ventral striatum, these regions have long been associated with the response to pleasurable stimuli, while one is listening to music. According to Zatorre, “when you listen to music that gives you goosebumps (musical frisson), the striatal system is activated via dopamine secretion (ʘ).

Studies have shown that music, especially devotional songs can increase production of endorphins (natural pain relievers) and S-IgA (Salivary immunoglobulin-A). S-IgA speeds healing, reduces the danger of infection and controls heart rates (ʘ). The experimentations have designed to revealed the impact of music on human attributes and resulted in some great results. In this paradigm, in an experiment, it found that chill impact of music is associated with comparative increases in heart rate (HR), electromyogram (EMG), respiration depth (RESP), as a manifestation of alteration in psychophysiological activity (ʘ, ʘ, ʘ, ʘ).

However, findings of Fancourt et. al., in last year, revealed a decrease in cortisol, beta-endorphin, and oxytocin and a general activation of the cytokine network. They further concluded that group singing could lead to enhanced immune function in patients (ʘ). Researchers also demonstrated that mood plays a causal role in the modulation of responses to acute stress (ʘ). They have also shown that stress cause triggered increased in noradrenaline, ACTH, cortisol, IL-6, and leptin level in blood, which is lower down after music listening.

      3.     Application of Neem

Application of neem is seeming to prevail since the centuries. This is a unique point to establish that the way of dealing pathogen was much better than the modern mechanism of treatment. Keeping the vicinity of patient clean with the help of cow dung pest, and protected from the frequent visit of other persons, except the person who is attending the patient, by say saying that the patient is a carrier of the 'Sheetala Mata'. This prevents the chances of any further infection.

There is a huge number of chemicals has been isolated, characterized and identified from leaves of neem, so far by various workers. Leaf extracts: Active constituents of neem leaf extract include isomeldenin, nimbin, nimbinene, 6-desacetyllnimbinene, nimbandiol, immobile, nimocinol, quercetin, and β -sitosterol. Two additional tetracyclic triterpenoids zafaral [24,25,26,27-tetranorapotirucalla-(apoeupha)-6α-methoxy-7-α-acetoxy-1,14-dien-3,16-dione-21-al] and meliacinan hydride [24,25,26,27-tetranorapotirucalla-(apoeupha)-6 α -hydroxy,11 α -methoxy-7 α, 12- α-di acetoxy,1,14,20(22)-trien-3-one] have been isolated from the methanolic extract of neem leaves (ʘ).

A good amount of Margosa leaves (Azadirachta indica: ʘ) is kept on the bed which is now well established as an antiviral agent (ʘ; ʘ; ʘ; ʘ; ʘ; ʘ). Antiviral activity of neem is well established in modern research through a number of researchers, against many viruses including pox virus, which may be due to the presence of the battery of compounds besides flavonoids, triterpenoids and their glycosides (ʘ).

Keeping Diet Lighter

The patient is provided a mild diet, so that metabolism can support immune system properly. However, here it is important to quotes the use of socked grams to supply protein and vitamins, just after recovery of from the infection, just to strengthen the patient. Use of oil and fat is strictly prohibited, which might be helpful in the prohibition of the spread of the virus.

This is the most popular devotional song usually chanted every now and then during infection.

Conclusively, whatever results of the success of this treatment may be but one thing is for sure that it didn’t develop any mutant strain of the virus. Moreover, still, we don’t have any full proof treatment plant in allopathy as well. As far as, vaccines are concerned, their success rate is fine. But the bigger question is, was it necessary? If one person was suffering in the family, at that time, the rest of the members were automatically immunized in attending the patient.

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Disclaimer

Our ancestors and Rishis have left a vast treasure and contemporary schoolers, scientists, Pandits and society at large have a great deal of responsibility to research through this treasure and apply in the current context and lifestyle to revamp and rejuvenate the glory of Great Indian history and tradition for the well-being of mankind and universe.

This is the reason, these few correlations are merely an effort to say that procedure prevailing since centuries are not bogus and is certified by time and not to say that it is complete in any respect. Lot more to be done.