Herbal Remedy for Kidney Stone (Mutrashmari)
Urolithiasis is defined as a stone or stonelike hard
substance formed in the urinary tract. Formation of stones in the urinary tract
is a global phenomenon and is described in ancient Ayurvedic scriptures as mutraashamari.
Classification of Renal Calculi
It is said to be one of the eight most troublesome diseases
(mahaorgas).
Ayurvedic texts have classified the stones according to dosic profiles,
namely, vata-, pitta-, or kapha- related and others. The
formation of a stone (calculus) can be at any level in the urinary system.
Ayurvedic texts have described four types of urinary
calculi: sleshmaashmari, pittaashmari, vataashmari, and sukraashmari.
1.
Sleshmaashmari: stones are white, unctuous, and also big in size. They
produce symptoms such as dysuria, cutting, incising, and pricking pain,
heaviness, and a cold sensation over area the bladder region.
2.
Pittaashmari: stones are reddish, yellowish, and blackish and resemble
the color of honey. They produce a sucking type of pain, burning sensation, a
warm feeling over the bladder region, and ushnavata.
3.
Vataashmari: stones are dusty in color, hard, irregular, rough and nodular
or spiny like the kadamba flower. Patients experience severe pain (and may
scream, and have difficulty when passing flatus, urine, and stools.
4.
Sukraashmari: occurs in adults only. It is due to suppression of ejaculation
for months or years and frequent coitus or coitus interruption. The semen to be
ejaculated will be obstructed, condensed, and brought in-between the scrotum
and penis (prostatic part of the urethra) by vata. This causes dysuria, scrotal swelling, and lower
abdominal pain. The special characteristic of sukraashmari
is that handling can dissolve it.
Ayurvedic Treatment
The
management of urolithiasis in Ayurveda basically includes herbal formulas,
alkaline liquid, and surgical procedures. Oiling, induced sweating, medicated
emesis, purgation and enemas should be given in the prodromal state of the
disease only in order to cure it completely.
Shamana Therapy
Palliative
treatment includes administration of herbal drugs and herbal formulas orally. The
palliative drugs used to treat renal calculi are analgesic, diuretic, and
linthnotriptic agent and are able to balance
vata.
Preparations
of varuna, gokshura, pashana bheda, shilajitu, ela,
veerataru, brihati, kantakari, yava kshara, kushmanda, trapusa, hazrul yahud
bhasma, etc. are commonly used in renal calculi.
Shodhana Therapy
Cleansing
treatment includes prepanchkarma procedures such as external and internal oleation and
induced sweating, and panchakarma procedures, such as medicated emesis, purgation, and
enemas. Most of the Ayurvedic classics recommend medicated enemas for the
treatment of urolithiasis.
Saindhavadi
taila niruha vasti and vrushadi asthapana vasti are generally used in renal calculi. The idea here is
that transmucosal fluxes are encouraged away from the kidney for removal of
unwanted metabolites, thereby reducing the ionic load on the kidney filtration
system. This may be considered as a type of dialysis procedure.
Alkali Therapy
Most of
the alkaline materials (kshara) act as diuretics, lithotriptic, alkalizer, and
antispasmodic agents. These pharmacological activities are shown to be
effective in the management of different symptoms of urolithiasis. Examples
include palasa kshara, yava kshara, and mulaka kshara.
Management
Vataashmari Treatment
A
decoction is made for the following drugs: pashana
bheda, vasuka, ashmantaka, satavari, gokshura, brihati, kantakari, bhramhi,
artagala, usira, kubjaka, vrukshadani, bhalluka, and varuna, and fruits of saka,
yava, kulutha, kola, and kataka. To this
ushakadi group
of drugs, kalka (paste) is
added and thus ghrita is prepared. This preparation immediately destroys vatashmari.
Kshara (alkali), gruels, soups, decoctions, milk preparations,
and food prepared from this vata-allaying group of substances should be administered.
Pittaashmari Treatment
A decoction
is made for the following drugs: kusa,
kasa, sara, morata, pasana bheda, satavari, pashana bheda, vidari, varahi,
shalimula, trikantaka, bhalluka, patala, patha, kuruntika, punarnava, and shirisha. Ghritha has to be prepared by using the above drugs’ decoctions
to which silajit, madhuka, seeds of indivara
and trapusa, and seeds of eravaruka
are added.
Alkalis,
gruels, soups, decoctions, milk, and foods prepared from these pitta-allaying groups of substances
should be administered.
Sleshmashmari Treatment
Medicine
of this decoction include varunadi gana, guggulu, ela, harenuka,
kushta, and drugs of bhdraadi gana, maricha, chitraka, and devadaru. The decoction, added with paste of the ushakadi group of
drugs, has to be taken along with dehydrated butter. This preparation provides
relief from sleshmaashmari.
Alkalies,
gruels, soups, decoctions, milk preparations, and food prepared from these kapha-balancing
groups of substances should be administered. Karpasa flowers, ankola, nirmali, saka, and indivara fruits powder have to be taken internally with water and jiggery.
This mixture quickly reduces blood sugar levels. Gokshura, talamuli, ajamoda, roots
of kadamba, and
adraka are
taken with wine or hot water to remove calculi. Gokshura seeds powder
with honey should be taken with milk for a week to disintegrate the calculi.
Sukraashmari Treatment
If
seminal concretions or fine particles spontaneously come in the urethra, they
should be removed by the badisha instrument (a hook). After the wound is healed, the
patient is advised not to undertake any physical activity, such as horse
riding.
Alkali Treatment
In
Ayurvedic texts, it is advocated that a formulation with medicated ghrita and kshara is made from
the drugs mentioned above.
Kshara (alkali) prepared from pastes of tila, apamarga, kadali, palasa, and yava administered as a drink
quickly relieves the symptoms. Kshara prepared from patala and karavera can also be effective.
Patients
suffering from pain should be given milk processed with the above drugs or triphala groups or
with punarnava as
a drink. The drugs of the veerataru group can be administered by all modes.
Prevention
Ayurvedic texts provide detailed information regarding the
dietary habits and lifestyles that are to be adopted in renal calculi. It is
advised to take whole rice, wheat, barley, horse gram, green gram, matured
pumpkin, varuna, ginger,
gokshura and
amaranthus, flesh of birds residing on dry soil or barren land, and measures such
as medicated enemas, emesis, purgation, fasting or light diet, and sudation.
Patients are advised to maintain adequate fluid intake to
produce at least 2 l/day of urine, maintain adequate calcium intake from food
sources, cut down intake of animal protein, cut sodium intake, cut sucrose
intake, increase dietary K intake, avoid grapefruit juice, and avoid
unnecessary vitamin C. The intake of sour, dry, and heavy foods, food
substances that cause indigestion, and unwholesome food items should be
avoided. Coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages should neither be avoided nor
encouraged.