How Ayurveda can Help in Treating Gout?

Gout is found to have increased prevalence in the recent years. It can affect anyone but men are more likely to get gout. It originates as pain and inflammation of the big toes and heels of the feet. Soon all the toe and finger joints swell and ache.

Gout is a metabolic disorder which results due to the deposition of uric acid in the joints, which results in inflammation in the joints. When the body digests purine, it produces a waste product called uric acid. In normal conditions, uric acid dissolves and excreted out through urine via kidneys but if this uric acid is not excreted out from the system and the body produces too much uric acid, it starts accumulating in the body and this build up of uric acid results in the formation of sharp needle like crystals. These crystals accumulate in the joints or the surrounding tissues which causes extreme pricking pain and inflammation.

Ayurveda can help in treating gout in a natural way with the use of herbs, diet, and lifestyle modifications etc.

What are the Symptoms of Gout?

Initially the most affected joint is the 1st metatarsophalengeal joint. There is severity in pain, especially early in the morning which is often described as

• • Severe pain with slight difficulty in flexion and extension.
  • Pain is mostly rapid which reaches to maximum severity in 2-6 hours
  • Swelling
  • Stiffness which lasts for more than one hour.
  • Moderate discoloration of the skin
  • Pain in the toes
  • Moderate redness
  • Frequent burning sensationSwelling in the feet

What is the Ayurvedic Perspective of Gout?

Gout is known as ‘Vatarakta’ in Ayurveda. It is a major example of Vata Vyadhi. As the name suggests, Vatarakta is caused due to the vitiation of Vata dosha and Rakta dhatu. Ayurvedic texts describes Vata as the most significant dosha in the midst of the tri doshas due to its features and actions such as quick action, vigor, vitality, capability to vitiate other doshas and its vitiation causes 80 types of diseases.

Vatarakta is a Vatavyadhi Prabheda, which is considered as the finest illustration of Avarna Vyadhi, as an opening from the etiopathogenesis to the complications, the illness follows the characteristic presentation of Avarana. From the overall view of the etiology, it is unambiguous that the etiological factors of Vata dosha and Rakta dhatu are accountable for the causation of illness. According to Ayurveda, an obstruction in the path of Rakta dhatu is the core pathology of the disease.

(Reference: Bhavaprakasha, Madhyam khanda, Sutra Sthana, Chapter No. 8 and Shloka No. 7)

Meaning : In this shloka, the symptoms of gout are explained. The symptoms are excess sweating or less/no sweating, loss of sensation, joint weakness, laziness, stiffness, ulcer formation, pain in the joints such as knees, hands, shoulders, foot, burning sensation, loss of skin complexion and rashes appear.

Diagnosis: Blood urea is the most common blood test to estimate the level of uric acid. Other blood tests include White Blood Cells Count, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), renal function test etc. X-ray may also be useful.

Treatment: The line of treatment of gout in modern medicine is the administration of NSAIDs, Glucocorticoid etc. which fail to modify the course of the disease and patients may suffer from the ill effects of these drugs.

How Planet Ayurveda can Help in Treating Gout?

Planet Ayurveda offers traditional Ayurvedic formulations. The major objectives in the treatment of gout are to keep the serum uric acid level to a normal position and to prevent joint damage due to hyperuricemia. It offers Gout Care Pack which includes:

• Giloy Capsules
• Kaishore Guggul
• Navkarshik Churna
• Punarnava Capsules
• Dashmularisht

Giloy Capsules

Planet Ayurveda’s Giloy Capsules contain the standardized extract Tinospora cordifolia. It is one of the effective herbs for the treatment of gout. This herb is highly alkaline in nature. Its anti-inflammatory effect aids  the healing of gouty arthritis. It is a drug of choice for the treatment of gout in Ayurveda as it improves the metabolic functions of the body and removes ama or toxins present within the system. This herb eliminates uric acid through kidneys and improves its functioning.

Dose: 1 capsule twice daily, after meals with warm water.

Kaishore Guggul:

This classical Ayurvedic formulation acts as a natural blood cleanser and useful as a supportive dietary supplement in many health conditions. It is quite effective in conditions such as mild to severe attacks of gouty arthritis, raised uric acid, inflammatory disorders etc. It corrects the metabolism and checks uric acid production by correcting the elimination process of uric acid in kidneys.

Dose: 2 tablets twice daily, after meals with warm water.

Navkarshik Churna

Planet Ayurveda’s Navkarshik Churna is a blend of dried extracts of the herbs that remove toxins from the body, correct the metabolism, regulates heat , improves immunity etc. It contains triphala, which acts as a xanthine oxidase inhibitor like allopurinol which suppresses the production of uric acid.  Ingredients of Navkarshik Churna are Amla (Emblica officinalis), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Bahera (Terminalia bellerica), Vacha (Acorus calamus), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Manjishtha (Rubia cordifolia), Katuki (Picrrorhiza kurrao), Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) and Daruhaldi (Berberis aristata).

Dose: 1 teaspoonful twice daily, after meals with warm water.

Punarnava Capsules

The standardized extract of Boerhavia diffusa is used in the preparation of Planet Ayurveda’s Punarnava Capsules. It is one of the very effective anti-inflammatory herbs. This herb is quite effective in reducing toxins, swelling and pain in the joints due to its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-oxidant properties. Its diuretic property, speeds up the filtration process of kidneys and flushes out the excessive fluids and waste products.

Dose: 2 capsules twice daily, after meals with warm water.

Dashmularisht

This classical ayurvedic preparation in syrup form is prepared primarily using the root of 10 herbs like Badi kateri (Solanum indicum), Patola (Stereospermum suaveolens), Prishniparni (Uraria picta), Shalparni (Desmodium gangeticum) etc and many other herbs. Dashmoola is an mesmerizing vata shamak as it aids in pacifying vata dosha thus helpful in reducing pain, inflammation, swelling etc. In gouty arthritis, along with vata there is dusti of rakta also so this formulation includes herbs like manjistha (Rubia cordifolia), khadira (Acacia catechu), amla (Embica officinalis) which assists in alleviating excessive pitta, rakta dosha from the body and helps in relieving symptoms like excess sweating or less/no sweating, loss of sensation, ulcer formation, pain in the joints such as knees, hands, shoulders, foot, burning sensation, loss of skin complexion and appearance of rashes.

Dose: 2 teaspoonful twice daily with equal amount of water, after meals.

Diet and Lifestyle:

• Avoid the intake of high protein diet, sour, salty and pungent food products.
• Avoid dairy products especially yogurt.
• Increase the use of herbs such as ginger, cumin seeds, fennel, coriander etc.
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily to flush out toxins from the body.
• Massage the joints gently with lukewarm sesame oil for 20 to 30 minutes.