Arthritis: Ayurvedic Treatment, Herbal Remedies, Causes and Symptoms

Inflammation of the joints is called arthritis. It can be acute or chronic. In Ayurveda it is commonly known as Sandhivata. Sandhi means joint and vitiation of Vata is usually the prominent factor in this disease. Acute arthritis may result due to trauma, infections, gout, or haemophilia. Sumilarly it can be due to toxins commonly known as ama. When this toxin mixes with a vitiated dosha, it can cause acute arthritis. Chronic arthritis can also be due to different infections like tuberculosis and collagen as well as degenerative disorders. Immunological disorders and vitiation of doshas are many times responsible for chronic arthritis.

Traumatic Arthritis

Vata vitiation is the predominant factor in the pathogenesis. If there are no visible injuries on the skin, then external application of curcuma amada with lime is beneficial . Apply vishgarbha oil and then carry out the fomentation of the affected joint.

Tab. Rasnadi guggul (YR) 250 mgm; and tab. Guduchi 250 mgm; with warm water three to four times a day for two weeks is the best remedy.

Rheumatic Arthritis

In Ayurveda this is called as amavata. A low digestive fire produces ama or toxins in the digestive tract, which then circulates the entire body from the heart and blood vessels causing a fever, heart disorders, and joint problems. The disease starts in the stomach, manifests in the joints and the heart, and then spreads at the Kapha dosha sites in the body.

Symptoms

The main symptom of this disease is a fleeting type of pain in the big joints. The inflammation and pain shifts from joint to joint very rapidly. In the acute stage, the big joints are inflamed on a given day and then absolutely normal the next day when some other joint becomes affected.

When the heart gets involved usually the mitral valve is affected and there is either stenosis or regurgitation type deformity. Hence it is said that this disease “bites the joints and leaks the heart.” Therefore when ama is present in the digestive system, one should never carry out excessive exercise. Otherwise ama spreads throughout the entire body and can cause this disease.

Treatment

To destroy ama, fasting should be carried out in the acute stage. The swollen joints should be fomented by dry heat either by electrical pads or by using hot sand or infrared lamp. Castor oil is very useful bedause of its power of removing ama. One teaspoon of castor oil should be taken internally with garlic tea. Mixture of garlic, galangal, punarnava, guggulu in dose of 1 gm. A day and dashmoolarishta 15 ml. 3 times a day for 3 weeks is useful.

Ama stage

In this stage, the joints are inflamed, swollen, and very painful. Application of prasarani oil (BP) helps to relieve sever pain in this acute condition. Until the ama is detoxified, the patient should take only warm vegetable soup. Whenever the patient is thirsty , he should drink warm water or herbal tea.

To detoxify ama, hot spices like turmeric, myrrh, and cayenne are good. Oil of wintergreen, saindhavadi oil (BR) or rasona oil should be massaged externally on the inflamed joints, and they should be forented by dry heat.
To protect heart, use yakuti rasa (SYS) 10 mgm; twice a day for 3 weeks. To get rid of pain due to swollen joints, give tab. Sinhanada guggulu (BR) 250 mgm; 3 times a day with mahavata- vidhwansana- rasa in dose of 25 mgm; twoce a day for 3 weeks.

Mahayogaraja guggulu 250 mgm; 3 times a day wit rasnadi kwath 15 ml. 3 times a day can be used also for the same purpose.

Nirama stage

In this stage the swelling of the joints disappears but they are still very much painful. When ama gets detoxified, this no ama stage is present.

Tab. Sinhanada guggulu 250 mgm, 3 times a day for 3 weeks is ideal. Also devils claw and yucca root have been used successfully for this stage.

During this stage patient can take light diet, which with not disturb digestive fire . Soup of white meat, basmati rice, ghee, buttermilk or milk and plenty of fruit fuice can be taken with green vegetables.

Diet

Avoid Vata and Kapha increasing foods like curds, cheese, fruits having cold potency (like banana, guava, cucumber), cold drinks, and working in damp and cold atmosphere. Castor oil is beneficial. Two teaspoons of castor oil in ginger tea every day is advised.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Vitiated Vata affects the joints and produces this disease. This is also known as Sandhigata Vata. The small and large affected joints are painful and swollen. If it is not treated properly, after chronic stage, deformity may develop in affected joints. People after 40 are affected most often. It is a systemic connective tissue disorder affecting joints, hence muscle wasting, and inflammation of muscles around the joint is very common. Generalized osteoporosis in seen in many cases. Serum RA factor is present due to immunological changes.

Symptoms

In typical vata type, the pain is throbbing, migrating, and cutting. It is relieved by fomentation. Deformity is more likely to take place. Other symptoms of Vata aggravation like constipation, gas, nervousness, and insomnia are common. Pitta type Joints are more inflamed, red, hot to touch accompanied with fever, thirst and irritability. Pain increases by fomentation. In the Kapha type, there is more swelling and edema around the joints, and the pain is dull aching type, which is relieved by fomentation.

Treatment

Vata type use Galangal, dashmoola ten roots, guggulu and punarnava are herbs of choice. Purificatory procedures for Vata such as oil enema and decoction enema should be given alternately. Affected joints should be massaged with sahacharadi oil and then fomentation with medicated vapour of herbs like basil.

Herbs like black cohosh root, prickly ash bark, ashwagandha root, are the herbs of choice. Rasnadi guggulu 250 mgm; 3 times a day for 1 month is medicine of choice.

Pitta type Give cold fomentation or ice packs to reduce the inflammation of the joints. Aloe, curcuma, berberry, guduchi, yucca root, devil’s claw are herbs of choice. Massage with cooling oils like sandalwood. A preparetion called as chandanbalalakshadi oil, is used in this condition.

Kapha type – herbs of choice are trikatu, clematis root, ginseng, cocklebur fruit, cayenne, and calamus. For external massage, wintergreen oil and vishagarbha oil is indicated. If the pain and swelling is too much, dry fomentation by infrared lamp or heated sandbag is beneficial.

1. Osteo Arthritis

This is also called as Asthigata Vata. This is the disease that occurs in people usually above 50 years . Affected joints are painful, patient also suffers from other symptoms of Vata vitiation like loss of sleep, weakness, and loss of strength in the muscles.

Treatment

Vata type – Vata palliation diet supplemented with natural calcium is essential. Coral pearl, conch oxide, or oxide prepared from eggshell is ideal. A preparetion that is a mixture of five natural calcium, known as praval panchamrita 125 mgm; twoce a day for 1 month, is commonly used in this condition. Natural calcium if given with some fatty substance like medicated ghee of triphala shows beneficial results. Tab. Lakshadi guggulu (BR) 250 mgm; 3 times a day for 3 months is indicated.

Medicated enema of tonification variety is the treatment of choice. For this use decoction mixture of 100 ml. Dashmola, 4 grams of rock salt, and 25 ml. Honey.

Massage the joints with narayan oil, bala oil, or dhanvantari oil is very effective . When these oils are not available, use simple sesame oil, or one can cook available anti – arthritic herbs with sesame oil for external massage.

Pitta type – along with anti – Pitta diet, bitter herbs like aloe, azadirechta indica, turmeric and ghee should be given . Application of sandalwood oil with cold ice packs to the joints is useful.

Kapha type – anti – Kapha diet should be given with spicy and hot berbs like cayenne , ginger, saffron, musk, and calamus.

Mahayogaraj guggulu (SS) 250 mgm; twice a day for 1 month has good results.

External use of medicated sesame oil helps to loosen joints, detoxify the ama and improve the affected joint function. For this purpose prasarini oil is the best.

Diet

Proper nutritive food with Vitamin A and D should be given. Natural calcium is available in many dairy products like cheese, milk, butter, and ghee. These should be taken with ghee and plenty of green vegetables.