Ayurveda perspective of Ulcerative colitis:

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease of the digestive canal pertaining to the large intestine which is also referred to as the colon and there develops an inflammation in the internal lining of colon. Now once the inflammation starts occuring, it leads to further aggravation in the signs and there is further development of sores / ulcers in the intestinal lining which also causes pus and mucous in the stools. Its this progressive nature of illness which makes the journey of healing very much pivotal and patient shall have to start on with intake of medicinal herbs at soonest possible so the progressive nature of disease can be halted and healing can be achieved. Also its to be noted here that its the combined effects of inflammation and ulceration that can be very much troublesome for the patient as it causes abdominal discomfort and pain while passing the stools.

If we have to understand the pathogenesis of Ulcerative colitis, then its primarily due to vitiated response of our immune behavior and the cells alongwith our components which make up our immune system are compromised, then ailments related to immunity are certainly at prone. The prime purpose of our immune behavior is to protect our body from infections, but if there is any vitiation then we can expect such issues to start occuring within our cells / tissues.

In people where digestive system is compromised since many years and there is development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and due to chronic nature of ailment, the cell behavior loses its “smriti of functioning” and it starts regarding the food, bacteria, and other materials in the intestine for foreign or invading substances. Once this starts happening, as immune behavior is already compromised, it starts sending white blood cells into the lining of the intestines, resulting in action at the site on our own cells by these very W.B.C. and this causes inflammations / ulcerations.

Symptoms of Ulcerative colitis:

Majority of patients during early stages of ulcerative colitis expereince nil warning signs and mainly the symptoms are revolving only around just mild digestive imbalances. This huge variation in the severity of symptoms are due to differences in the extent of disease (inflammation in colon and rectum are the decisive criteria which determines the extent of symptoms as the higher the inflammation, higher shall be the severity in symptoms).

The primary symptoms in all patients of Ulcerative colitis are as follows:

· Cramps in lower abdomen / discomfort which is continuous in nature

· Bleeding from rectum which is visible through stools

· Indigestion issues leading to Diarrhea

· Lower Haemoglobin levels

· General Weakness throughout the day

· Mild Fever

· Morning Sickness which gets worse as the day passes along

· Sudden onset of weight loss

· Very less appetite and feeling of stomach fullness

· Sounds of “umm” coming from the abdomen

· Ulcers in the oral cavity

· Skin feeling dry / dehydrated as there is loss of fluids

· Lesions / Papules noted on many parts of skin

The different types of ulcerative colitis in conventional medicinal science are listed as follows :

· Ulcerative proctitis

· Proctosigmoiditis

· Left-sided colitis

· Pancolitis or universal colitis

· Fulminant colitis

Causes of Ulcerative colitis

The science of Ayurveda medicine is a natural system of healing and health maintenance which is in practice since centuries and our human body is composed from the elements of mother nature, its this very prime reason if any cellular vitiations are addressed by intake of medicinal herbs, the results in chronic ailments are highly encouraging because our human body responds very positively towards the action initiated by elements of mother nature. As per protocols of ayurveda medicine, healthy body is entirely dependent on a healthy digestion process and if our digestion is compromised, the cellular physiology too shall suffer similarly. When the digestive system is compromised due to irregular dietary habits / lifestyle regimen / underlying illness, the body then becomes congested, blocking all channels of otherwise free circulation and discouraging the movement of toxins out of the body in the process. Therefore, it is very important for overall good health that people work to establish good digestion.

Pitta dosha is responsible for releasing energy which fuels all the biochemical activities in our tissues, including activation / flow of digestive enzymes, metabolism and assimilation.

Causes of Pittaja Grahani disease are Mandagni (compromised digestive fire – poor appetite and poor digestion), intake of irregular dietary food items, intake of unfavorable to digest at unfavorable timings, processed food from outside sources, diets which in particular aggravates the pitta dosha like excess of spicy, pungent, acidic, sour, alkaline nature foods, intake of food items which encourage burning sensation in oral cavity, excessive and untimely alcohol, active / excessive passive smoking, frequent bouts of excessive anger etc.

Illness specific herbs used in preparing ayurveda medications for Ulcerative colitis :

• Masha (Vigna mungo)
• Pushkarmula (Inula racemosa)
• Haritaki (Terminalia chebula)
• Rason (Allium sativum)
• Shati (Curcuma zedoaria)
• til (Sesamum indicum)
• Agnimantha (Premna serratifolia)
• Prishanparni (Uraria picta)
• Nagbala – Grewia hirsuta
• pushkarmool – Inula racemosa
• Draksha – Vitis vinifera
• Vidanga – Embeia ribes
• Priyala – Buchanania latifolia
• Shunthi – Zingiber officinale
• Rason – Allium sativum

Over the counter ayurveda medications prescribed for Ulcerative colitis

• Kutaj ghan vati
• Kutajarishta
• Talishadi churnam
• Vasavleha
• Grahanikapata ras
• Bilwadi lehyam
• Dadimashtak churna
• Panchamrita parpati
• Arogyavardhani vati
• Godanti bhasma
• Kalyanaka avaleha
• Chywanaprash avaleha
• Brahmi rasayana
• Udamrit vati

Treatment of Ulcerative colitis in ayurveda

As per Ayurveda terminology, Ulcerative colitis can be considered as ‘Pittaja Grahani’ as the main reason is vitiation in the digestive fire (jathargni). In Ayurveda, it is believed that perfect health exists only when all the three energies of nature (doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha) are in perfect balance or in “sama avastha”. We have to take note here that out of all these three doshas, if the pitta dosha gets vitiated, it compromises the intestinal physiology which in turn results in the formation of “pittaj grahani”.

At Nakra Ayurveda Hospitals and Herbals Pvt Ltd, we offer very effective treatment for Ulcerative colitis based on the classical principle of Ayurveda and our research of past more than 20 years of clinical ayurveda. Our treatment of Ulcerative colitis lays emphasis on healing of the ulcers and normalizing the physiology of colon and maintaining a holistic health of all the systems associated with digestive system.