Reminiscing about my college days I don’t remember anybody among my numerous friends ever suffering from PCOD, or Polycystic Ovarian Disease.
Today it seems to have reached epic proportions with even girls of just 17 or 18 years complaining they have been diagnosed with PCOD. The incidence among our young IT professionals is even higher. In ayurveda, it is said the three pillars of good health are Aharam, Nidra and Brahmacharya, namely food, sleep and sex. How well you regulate these three aspects of your life will determine your health. Untimely meals, processed foods, snacking, eating before the previous meal has digested, cold drinks... all these have contributed to a mandagni or a digestive fire that is hardly active. The food that is eaten is not digested, leading to production of Ama or toxins, leading to disruption of the hormonal balance. Once the hormonal balance is disturbed, all sorts of consequences follow. From PCOD to cancers, every ailment can manifest in a person whose food habits are not right. Millions of dollars are being spent on finding the causes of cancer while the answer rests in our ancient texts. If you don’t eat right, don’t expect to be healthy.
Jet-setting managers and night shift professionals wonder why they are plagued by so many illnesses. If you do not respect the circadian rhythms, disease will follow.
Since, PCOD can be treated with ayurveda, I thought a discussion on the cures available is warranted, especially as in allopathy the cure is worse than the disease. Of course, prevention is better than cure. PCOD is a disease following hormonal imbalances, which could often lead to amenorrhoea, weight gain and abnormal facial and body hair growth.
Two common drugs that address PCOD and amenorrhoea are Ashoka vati (of which I have written earlier) and Raja Pravartini Vati. Raja Pravartini Vati needs to be taken under the guidance of a vaidyar (physician) because it is an extremely ushna veerya drug. It is used in ayurvedic treatment of scanty bleeding and amenorrhoea. Raja Pravartini Vati consists of Aloe vera, purified green vitriol (a kind of Ferrous sulphate), Borax and asafoetida. This is a very effective in re-establishing the menstrual cycle.
Yet another drug, which was available earlier and has gone out of favour, is Lodhra. It is an age-old remedy for common gynaecological problems, from menarche to menopause. Lodhra consists of symplocos racemosa (Lodhra), saraca indica (Asoka), glycyrrhiza glabra (Yashtimadhu), acacia catechu (Khadira), mangifera indica (Amra), laccifer lacca (Laksha), woodfordia floribunda (Dhataki), bombax malabaricum (Salmali), rubia cordifolia (Manjishta), rubia cordifolia (Manjishta), santalum album (Chandanam), tribulus terrestris (Gokshura), curculigo orchioides (Musli), andropogon muricatus (Usheera), toona ciliata (Toona), ficus racemosa (Udumbara), terminalia arjuna (Arjuna), holarrhena antidysentrica (Kutaja), terminalia chebula (Haritaki), cyperus rotundus (Mushta) in a syrup base. So many effective herbs to treat gynaecological problems and so simple to take too! Just 10 ml with equal quantity of water twice daily before eating. Before puberty, the dosage is 5 ml with equal quantity of water after eating. However, prevention of such problems is easy by regulating ones’ Aaharam and Viharam.
The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com/arogyamantra.blogspot.com