Kushta(s): unique herbo-mineral preparations used in South Asian traditional medicine
Introduction
Traditional medicine has long been practiced in the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Ayurvedic and Unani/Tibb are the two most popular systems of traditional medicine in this region. Each system uses herbs, minerals and animal tissues in various dosage forms. `Kushta' is one of the dosage forms prepared in a very special manner. `Kushta' the past participle of `KUSHTAN' (a Persian word for `to kill'), means `killed or conquered'. Primarily, a Kushta is a blend of mineral(s) and herbal extract(s). In the traditional system, the term is used for those dosage forms, which are effective in small doses and are prompt in action (1). Some of the most commonly prescribed Kushtas and their elements are shown in Table 1. These preparations have long been used by traditional healers and are claimed to be very effective and are still used today in these systems. However, no attempt has been made to study this type of dosage form in a scientific manner. This is because of a lack of communication among traditional healers, physicians and scientists and the unavailability of the literature in English. Most of the books are written in the local language and are not accessible to the rest of the world. Only few books have been translated into English. Among these are `Hamdard Pharmacopoeia of Eastern Medicine' (1) and `Bazzar Drugs' (2).
The objective of this paper is to draw the attention of the scientific community towards this `dosage form' traditionally used in this region for centuries. Efforts have been made to translate and/or transform the old concepts into English, and provide some scientific explanation, hypotheses and suggestions for future work in this field. The present paper will form a bridge between traditional medicine and modern science to initiate extensive studies on this potential dosage form, which will provide a rationale for the use of these dosage forms in modern medicine.
Section snippets
Old concept of Kushtas
As mentioned earlier, Kushtas are herbo-mineral preparations. According to traditional concepts preparing any drug in form of Kushta remarkably improves the potency, efficacy and safety of the individual components used. However, preparation of a particular Kushta depends on several factors like intended use, type of mineral or herbs used, etc. For example, a Kushta of iron prepared by treating iron with Aloe vera juice is used as haematinic with lemon juice it is useful in heart diseases,
Kushtas and modern medicine
The scientific work on this type of preparation is lacking in the literature despite the great advancement of technologies during the last few decades.
The lack of interest of scientists in traditional medicine like Kushta, include, lack of proper communication among traditional healers, clinicians and scientists due to differences in concepts, language, to some extent professional jealousy, lack of patent protection, misconceptions of practitioners of the two systems, etc. There are also some
Possible explanation of the effectiveness of Kushtas
There are few scientific studies on Kushta to explain how these preparations might be acting and what changes occur during the process of preparing a Kushta. Therefore, we provide a hypothetical explanation for the effectiveness of Kushta, to give food for thought to those who might be interested to work on these preparations and to provide grounds to initiate research in this area.
Constant heating of mineral(s) with particular herbal extract and vigorous wet grinding are the essential steps in
Recommendations
Recently the interest of the scientific community is growing in rationalizing the old remedies in the light of modern science, and the output is very encouraging [28], [29], [30]. WHO also promotes the safe and effective use of traditional medicines, the role of WHO is to assist those countries where traditional medicine is widely practiced to incorporate it into their national health systems and to bring the potential services by traditional practitioners into full play in primary health care.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Hakeem M. Usman, a traditional healer, for his interest and explaining the old concepts and providing hints and literature in local language.
References (31)
- et al.
Effects of Abana, an Ayurvedic preparation on rabbit atrium and intestine
J. Ethnopharmacol.
(1988) - et al.
Effect of a herbomineral preparation D-400 in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
J. Ethnopharmacol.
(1996) - et al.
Treatment of osteoarthritis with a herbomineral formulation: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study
J. Ethnopharmacol.
(1991) - et al.
Anna Pavala Sindhooram—an antiatherosclerotic Indian drug
J. Ethnopharmacol.
(1983) - et al.
Lead poisoning and traditional practices
Public Health
(1981) - et al.
Lead content of some traditional preparations—`Kushtas'
J. Ethnopharmacol.
(1989) Interest and limitation of a global ethnopharmacological survey
J. Ethnopharmacol.
(1991)- et al.
Calcinid metals or Kushtas, A class of alchemical preparations used in Unani-Ayurvedic medicine
Some herbo-metallic preparations or Kushtas of Unani medicine
CNS and adaptogenic effects of Sidh Makardhwaja: an ayurvedic mercury preparation
Int. J. Toxicol., Occupational Environ. Health
Neuropsychopharmacological studies on Kushta Hartal: an Arsenic preparation used in Unani medicine
Int. J. Toxicol., Occupational Environ. Health
Immunomodulatory activity of a Unani gold preparation used in Indian system of medicine
Immunopharmacol. Immunotoxicol.
Analgesic activity of gold preparations used in Ayurveda and Unani-Tibb
Indian J. Med. Res.
Cited by (15)
Plant Poisons, Hallucinogens, and Traditional Medicines
2023, Manson's Tropical Diseases, Fourth EditionScientific appraisal of Unani concept of islah-e-advia (rectification/purification of drugs) and its importance
2020, Journal of EthnopharmacologyCitation Excerpt :There are different aims for rectification or correction and it varies from drug to drug viz.,(a)To enhance the efficacy of the drug, (b) Removal of impurities, (c) Making qualitative availability of drug for calx process (Sunil and Shantinath, 2015), (d) Detoxification and neutralization of toxins, (e) To enhance therapeutic effects, (f) Elimination of physicals and chemicals adulterants, (g) To make best forms/suitable for administration, (h) To remove the irritant materials, (i) Change the taste of drugs, (j) Minimization of dose for easy and comfortable use (Murulidhar et al., 2016). Kushta are rapid in action, reduced in particle size, eliminates unwanted elements, conjugates trace elements, helps in formation of desirable compounds, with high dissolution rate and able to get absorbed in the body in a very short period, remarkably improves the potency, efficacy and safety of individual components used and have long shelf life (Chaudhary and Singh, 2010; Vohra, 2008; Aziz et al., 2002). Frying is done to reduce intensity of astringent taste.
Geopharmaceuticals of Himalayan Sowa Rigpa medicine: Ethnopharmacological uses, mineral diversity, chemical identification and current utilization in Bhutan
2018, Journal of EthnopharmacologyCitation Excerpt :Geological materials, in particular minerals, are applied in both traditional and biomedical systems for the treatment of various disorders. Ancient civilizations including Mesopotamian, Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Greek, Arabic, Roman and Tibetan used geological materials/minerals/gemstones for their therapeutic values, essential nutrients, cosmeceuticals, gemstones, and as amulets and talisman (Duffin, 2013; Limpitlaw, 2004; Abrahams, 2005; Carretero et al., 2002; Aziz et al., 2002; Gomes and Silva, 2007; Yu et al., 1995). Sowa Rigpa (Wylie transliteration of Tibetan, gso ba rig pa or “knowledge/ science of healing”), also known as Tibetan medicine, is a scholarly Asian medical system, which has developed its own canonical text, the rgyud bzhi or Four Tantras.
Hajrul yahood (Lapis judaicus): An important mineral drug of Unani system of medicine for the management of urolithiasis
2018, Journal of EthnopharmacologyCitation Excerpt :Its onset of action is quick, and comparatively low dose is required for therapeutic effect. Its magnitude of effect and the intensity of biological activities are greater than any other dosage forms used in Unani medicine (Aziz et al., 2002). Unani practitioners have used various measures to determine the quality of Kushta.
Achyranthes aspera stimulates the immunity and enhances the antigen clearance in Catla catla
2006, International ImmunopharmacologyTrends in ethnopharmacology
2005, Journal of Ethnopharmacology