Journal of Ayurvedic and Herbal Medicine 2019; 5(1): 10-12

Research Article Effective Ayurveda therapy to treat thyroid disorders

ISSN: 2454-5023
Anumod Kakkassery1, Prasad Krishnan2, Varghese P.R.2
J. Ayu. Herb. Med.
1 Jubilee Ayurveda Mission Hospital & Research Institute, Jubilee Mission P.O., Thrissur-680005, Kerala, India
2019; 5(1): 10-12
2 Jubilee Center for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College & Research Institute, Jubilee Mission P.O.,
© 2019, All rights reserved
Thrissur-680005, Kerala, India
www.ayurvedjournal.com
Received: 08-01-2019
Accepted: 22-02-2019 ABSTRACT

Introduction: Thyroid disorders are on the rise across the world. While there are therapies available to treat them, many
unavoidable side effects occur as part of the therapy. Ayurveda is the ancient system of medicine in India which uses
herbal based medicines to treat diseases. In clinical practice this system of medicine is seen to be well tolerated by
patients. Therefore, it will be a benefit to the patients with thyroid disorders if treatment based on Ayurveda can be
developed as an effective alternate to modern medicine. Materials and Methods: The patients were diagnosed based on
symptoms as per ayurvedic guidelines, followed by modern laboratory tests. Therapy was determined according to the
nature of the disease manifestation. Results: We observed that ksheerabala (a preparation of Sida cordifolia in milk) was
effective in patients of both the genders and different conditions of thyroid disorders. Conclusion: The encouraging
results observed in clinical setting after the application of ksheerabala need further laboratory research to identify its
mechanism of action. We believe that mechanistic studies with ksheerabala will validate its role as an effective alternative
medicine for thyroid disorders.

Keywords: AYUSH, ISM & H, Patient satisfaction, Service utilization.

INTRODUCTION

Ayurveda is an age-old traditional system of medicine originated from India. It is thought to have at least a
history of 3000 years. In this system, the universe is believed to be consisting of five elements- Prithvi
(Earth), Jala (water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air) and Akasha (Space). They are known as Panchamahabhoothas
(five major elements). These five elements also constitute the human body and the three humors
(tridoshas). The tridoshas are Vata (related to air), Pitta (related to fire) and Kapha (related to water).
According to Ayurveda, for a healthy human body, these tridoshas must be balanced. Any imbalance, leads
to a state of disease. This system of medicine explains the various means to keep tridoshas balanced in
various disease conditions, which constitute the treatment part [1].

Currently there is a lot of interest in getting an Ayurvedic massage -just a superficial part of Ayurvedic
treatment- which has got wide popularity across the world. However, the question is, can Ayurveda be a
treatment option against emerging health conditions in this century. Can we find solutions for the wide
range of life style diseases that we see around us, in Ayurveda?

One major health disorder affecting globally is thyroid disorder. The American Thyroid Association (ATA)
expects that more than 12 percent of the American population will develop some thyroid disorder in their
life time. The ATA estimates about 20 million Americans already having thyroid disorder. Women are more
prone to develop thyroid disorders with five to eight times higher probability than men [2]. A study in India
published in 2011 reported that, there were 42 million people suffering from some form of thyroid disorder
[3]. For hyperthyroidism anti-thyroid medication and surgery are the options [4], while for hypothyroidism,
lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy is the option [5]. These medications can lead to side effects
like change in appetite, hair loss, muscle weakness [6,7]. The ATA has listed Ayurveda as a choice of
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) [8]. However, clinical evidence needs to be shown to
establish that effectiveness of Ayurveda as a treatment option for thyroid disorders. In this context, we
share how patients with thyroid disorders are classified in Ayurveda, how they were treated in our facility
with Ayurvedic medicines and how they responded to the treatment.

*Corresponding author: Ayurveda describes thyroid disorders based on doshas. Hypothyroidism has been divided into five
Dr. Anumod Kakkassery
classifications based on, whether it is caused by - Vata, Pitha, Kapha or urinary tract infections (mostly in
Jubilee Ayurveda Mission
Hospital & Research Institute,
females) and finally the “goiter” type, where a pronounced swelling of the gland can be seen around the
Jubilee Mission P.O., Thrissur- neck region. The “goiter” type is believed to be the advanced stage of Kapha induced hypothyroidism.
680005, Kerala, India Improper digestion of food is considered as an underlying cause for all the dosha induced hypothyroidism.
Email: jyanumod[at]gmail.com In addition, the Vata induced disorder has a psychological component from mental agitation and mental

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stress, and a physical component from excessive physical activity. The diagnosed based on the symptoms as per ayurvedic guidelines and
hyperthyroidism is attributed to pita only. Treatment is prescribed after modern laboratory tests for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), T3 (total
ascertaining the root cause of the disorder. For example, if the disorder triiodothyronine) and T4 (total thyroxine). Therapy was determined
is Kapha based, the medicines will be given to bring the kapha dosha in according to the nature of the disease manifestation. The therapy was
the body to normal level. Therefore, Ayurveda provides a patient centric continued till the laboratory tests showed normal values for TSH, T3 and
approach for treatment [1]. T4 in the respective cases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The study was conducted at Jubilee Ayurveda Mission Hospital & Here we provide a summary of diagnosis, treatment and outcome of five
Research Institute between 2016 and 2018. The patients were patients treated for different thyroid disorders at our medical center.

Table 1: Summary of diagnosis, treatment and outcome

Lab Diagnostics Results (TSH)

Patient Ayurvedic Medicines
Gender Diagnosis Ayurvedic Dosha
No: Administered
Initial Final

1 F Hashimoto’s thyroiditis Vata and Pitha 135(µ IU⁄ml) 3.4 (µ IU⁄ml) [6- Drakshadi
with hypothyroidism based month Kashayam (grape
treatment] decoction)+ external
application of
Ksheerabala on
thyroid

2 F Hypothyroidism Vata and Pitha 150 (µ IU⁄ml) 17(µ IU⁄ml) [3- Black fennel extract
based month + external
treatment] application of
Ksheerabala on
thyroid

3* M Hypothyroidism Kapha based Normal (was on Normal (no Panchakarma

thyroxin thyroxin (predominantly
medication - 150 administration enema therapy)
mg daily) as of now)

4 F Hypothyroidism Pitha based Normal (was on Normal (no Ayurvedic

thyroxin thyroxin treatment for
medication- 100 administration urinary tract
mg daily) as of now) infection +
Kokilaksham
Kashayam (herbal
decoction)

5 M Hyperthyroidism Pitha based T3 - 3.1 ng/ml T3 - 1.61 ng/ml Mahatiktakam

(ghee based
T4 - 19.3 µ T4 - 11.6 µ preparation) +
gm/dl) gm/dl)
external application
of Ksheerabala on
thyroid

(* The patient was considered “obese” based on physique, normal values for TSH: 0.27- 4.2 µ IU⁄ml, T3: 0.80- 2.0 ng/ml, T4: 5.1- 14.1 µ gm⁄dl)

We would like to direct the attention to the fact that, in patients from milk. The boiling process concentrates the mixture. The next day this
both the genders (patients 1, 2 and 5), external application of concentrated mixture is again boiled with a stipulated amount of fresh
ksheerabala on thyroid was found to be effective clinically as an milk. The process is continued for 101 days and on the final day a very
adjuvant therapy against hypothyroidism (patients 1 and 2) and concentrated ksheerabala is ready for clinical use. This process also
hyperthyroidism (patient 5). Even though, we have only data from five increases the potency of the drug to a greater extent, which determines
patients, this observation is very encouraging and we are in a process to its clinical efficiency [9].
understand how ksheerabala can better the condition of patients.
The usual way of studying natural products or traditional medicines is to
Ksheerabala is an Ayurvedic preparation using the herb Sida cordifolia. isolate active constituents from natural products or Ayurvedic drugs and
A decoction of the herb is prepared first. Then adequate amount of test in cells or animals. However, many such studies were only found to
sesame oil is added to the decoction, followed by boiling this mixture in be effective in animals and not in clinical studies. Drawback of research

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on Ayurveda from the point of view of modern medicine could be
attributed to focusing on one or two active ingredients, lack of
mechanistic data on medicinal preparations, inadequate knowledge
about the effect of these medicines in a biological system at a molecular
level, not standardized as modern medicine and no proper clinical trials
to establish efficacy.

CONCLUSION

Here we present a clinical observation where patients with thyroid

disorders were treated with Ayurvedic medicines, based on the
condition of each patient. We have observed consistent encouraging
results for thyroid treatment and we need further studies to understand
the interesting mechanism of ksheerabala in particular. In the near
future, the researchers along with physicians would like to identify the
mechanism of action of this medicinal preparation as a whole, using
appropriate animal models. We will use the latest technology available
in the research world to identify the mechanism of this whole medicinal
preparation in animal models. We believe this bed-to-bench approach
will be beneficial in understanding how Ayurvedic drugs work in a
physiological condition, especially in thyroid disorders to begin with.

Sources of Funding: None

Conflict of Interest: None

REFERENCES

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HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE

Anumod Kakkassery A, Krishnan P, Varghese PR. Effective Ayurveda therapy to
treat thyroid disorders. J Ayu Herb Med 2019;5(1):10-12.

J Ayu Herb Med ǀ Vol 5 Issue 1 ǀ January- March 2019

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