Vedanasthapak drugs and its importance in pain management

Abstract

In Ayurveda, 50 different groups of drugs are mentioned to be used in different conditions.  Among these 50 groups, Vedanasthapak group is a class of drugs which eliminates physical pain and restores the body to its normal state. In this present study some of Vedanasthapak drugs mentioned in CharakSamhita will be discussed.  Also some facts regarding a clinical trial to evaluate the analgesic action of some vedanasthapak drugs will be highlighted. . A study has been carried out to evaluate the effect of Vedanasthapak drugs in pain management. To study the analgesic effect of Vedanasthapak drugs, the pain mainly concerned with musculoskeletal system i.e joint pain associated with Osteoarthritis was considered. For this study 40 patients were selected having age group 15year to 70 years. The trial drug was prepared in the form of tablet 500 mg having equal proportion of the drugs Sala (ShorearobustaGaertn.f), Kadamba ( Anthocephalusindicus A.Rich), Sirisa (AlbizzialebbeckBenth), Ashoka (Saracaindica) and given in the dose of 1 gm thrice daily. A fine powder of all these drugs in equal proportion was prepared for local application. The analgesic effect is compared with the control drug Diclofenac sodium 50 mg and Diclofenac gel for local application. The results are encouraging with fewer side effects.