Priya N K

The Department of Panchakarma at VPSV Ayurveda College, Kottakkal, conducted "Vasti Sameeksha," a comprehensive two-day workshop on December 7-8, 2024, focusing on the advanced Ayurvedic practice of Niruha. This workshop brought together 73 participants, including postgraduate scholars and faculty from leading Kerala Ayurveda colleges, to deepen the understanding and update practices of Niruha through classical and contemporary perspectives. The workshop was structured around 106 pre-collected questions on various aspects of Niruha such as indications, dosage, and procedures, which were extensively discussed to reconcile traditional texts with modern application needs. Moderated by experts Dr. Kirathamoorthy P.P. and Dr. G. Vinodkumar, the sessions facilitated a collaborative forum for standardizing operational procedures and exploring innovative formulations, notably the integration of Saindhava in Ksheera Vasti. The discussions also highlighted the challenges in clinical assessments and post-procedural care, stressing the need for ongoing research and adaptation of practices. This collaborative effort marked a significant step in standardizing Niruha treatments and documented the refined understandings for future educational and clinical use.

Psoriasis is a chronic and debilitating disease with a considerable global impact, characterized by increased rates of relapse and remission, significantly affecting the psychosomatic well-being of patients. It is a disease which can produce adverse effects on different tissues including joints and which is also characterised by recurrence after treatment cessation. This is the case study of a 61-year-old male who was a chronic smoker presenting with complaints of itchy, scaly lesions all over the body, especially over face, ears, head, back, bilateral lower limbs and upper limbs for the past 12 years which had aggravated over the last 2 months and consulted OPD of Vaidyaratnam PS Varier Ayurveda College, Kottakkal. The treatment approach adopted in this case of plaque psoriasis was sodhana (biopurification) therapy followed by rasayana (rejuvenation) therapy. The combination of Bakuchi rasayana used here contains only minimal ingredients, yet it is an effective regimen. Also, it has additional benefits like easiness of preparation and palatability. After the full course of treatment there was an overall improvement in symptoms, notable among them were a decrease in PASI score from 14.5 to 4.8, and a significant enhancement in the patient's quality of life. Following the rasayana therapy, the patient was able to pass bowel without straining. Thus, the combination of sodhana therapies followed by the administration of Bakuchi rasayana played a significant role in the marked improvement of lesions in plaque psoriasis.