Rasayana thanthra is one of the eight classical branches of Ayurveda which seems to have been practiced as a clinical speciality of Ayurveda since antiquity. Rasayana literally refers to nutrition, its content and modus operandi. A rasayana remedy which may be a drug, dietary element or a positive life style, promotes nutrition of the body leading in turn positive health, longevity, immunity against disease and improved mental health. As such as rasayana agent effects a process of rejuvenation in the body and psyche.
Fundamentally, rasayan agents produce their effect by favourably influencing the rasa system or the nutritional pool, the agni or the digestive and metabolic mechanisms as well as the srotamsi or the micro circulation and tissue perfusion. There may be mechanism specificity in different rasayanas acting at the level of rasa, agni are srotas. Similarly there may be dhatu or tissue specifically in the certain rasayanas too viz medhya rasayanas for brain, hrudaya rasaya for heart, caksusya rasayana for eyes, twacya rasayana for skin and kesya rasayana for hairs etc.Samoadoshana therapy by suitable panchakarma measures is considered the essential pre requisite for rasayana therapy because it is logically believed that a rasayana remedy reaches the target tissues and organs in the body more effectively if body channels are clean and competent. Ayurveda describes a number of pharmacological and known pharmacological measures for maintenance and promotion for mental health.
The known pharmacological measures include the rasayana and yoga. Among the pharmakological methods, the medhya rasayanas are prominently described in ayurvedic classics though only four medhya rasayanas, Mandukparni, guduci, yastimadhu and shanghupushpi are classically mentioned in Charaga Samhitha as medhya rasayana but many other similar drugs with medhya effect can be identified under this category. The medhya rasayanas improve the mental competence of an individual and prevent different mental illness and distress. In the present study scientific investigation have been carried out in clinical and experimental settings to find evidence for the classical concepts cited above.
This presentation will discuss the results of studies conducted on certain important rasayana remedies on scientific parameters to demonstrate their anti-aging, adapting, immuno-modulating and antistress effect besides the efficacy of certain medhya rasayanas on promotion of cognitive functions. Significant results have been found with amalaki, thulasi, and asvagandha as antiaging rasayana brahmi madukaparani as medhya rasayana and arjuna and puskrmula as hrudaya rasayana.
The details methodology and statistical data will be presented with strategies for wider generalizations and commercial exploitations.