Chitrakadi kashayam is an Ayurvedic medicine for heaviness and pain all over the body. It is beneficial in reducing bodyweight and hyperlipidaemia.
Benefits of Chitrakaadi kashayam
It enhances Agni (digestive fire), removes blockages in the lower part of Gastro Intestinal Tract and relieves constipation. By regulating the proper movement of Apaanavaayu, it gives relief to many types of aches and pains in the lower abdomen, back and hip area.
It is used to treat many diseases with ama in abdomen or all over the body. It reverses the pathology of many auto-immune diseases if used in the early stage of disease pathology.
It helps reduce obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia
It is beneficial to treat heaviness and pain all over the body and joints.
Indications of Chitrakadi kashayam
Vaatavyadhiprasamanam – Alleviates all Vaatavyadhis
Ingredients of Chitrakadi kashayam
| Ceylon leadwort | Chitraka | Plumbago zeylanica L. |
It aids digestion and increases appetite. It has anti-inflammatory action. It can also be used in liver diseases.
| Conessi | Indrayava | Holarrhena antidysentric). Wall. |
It has been used in bleeding piles, diarrhoea, eczema, fever and colic. It is beneficial in amoebic dysentery and many other gastro-intestinal disorders.
| false pareira root/ velvet leaf | Paatha | Cissampelos pareira L. |
It has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic actions. This plant is used to treat gynaecological conditions. Patha is used in the treatment of chronic non-healing ulcers and sinuses. It is also used in the treatment of chronic skin diseases and in the treatment of poisonous bites.
| Yellow gentian, Hellebore | Katuka | Picrorhiza kurroa |
It is used for Dyspepsia, fever and in purgatives. Although it shows anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities, it is most valued for its hepatoprotective effect.
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| Atis root | Ativisha | Aconitum heterophyllum WALL. EX ROYLE |
It has anti-diarrhoeal, diuretic, expectorant, hepato-protective, anti-pyretic, analgesic, anti-oxidant, anti-flatulent and carminative properties.
| Chebulic myrobalan | Hareetaki | Terminalia chebula RETZ. & WILLD. |
It is one of the main drugs in Ayurveda, one of the Rasayana and a member of an important group, Triphala. It is used in a wide variety of diseases as it possesses anti-bacterial anti-fungal anti-viral anti-diabetic anti-mutagenic anti-oxidant anti-ulcer and wound-healing properties.
Details of the manufacturing
As already discussed, Chitrakadi kashayam has 6 ingredients.
All these ingredients should be washed well and dried up in shade.
Take equal quantity of all ingredients in dried & crushed form in an earthen pot. Now add 16 times clean water into it. Make it boil and then cook in the open vessel with low fire. Reduce the quantity into one by eighth of the initial quantity. Make sure to mix it in between with a wooden ladle. Also, the fire should be kept low to make sure that all the active ingredients in the herbs needed are absorbed well into the water. Once the quantity is reduced to one by eighth of the initial amount of water, remove the vessel from the fire. Squeeze and drain through a clean white cloth. Collect the decoction in a clean vessel and discard the solid waste. Drink the mild warm decoction.
Dosha Dooshya Predominance with roga margas.
Chitrakadiadi kashayam is Vaatakaphahara and anulomana.
It acts on both antarogamarga
Dosage and Usage of Chitrakadi kashayam
Dosage: two Pala.
Usage:
Kashayam is advised to take in empty stomach, once the ingested food is digested well and aahaararasa is formed well.
Usage of kashayam with prescribed prakshepadravyas according to the condition of disease and the patient gives the best results mostly.
Exercises and Yoga.
As Chitrakadi kashayam targets mainly stomach, GIT, lower back and hip region, following stretching exercises and specific yoga asanas like pavanamuktasana, vajrasana, bhujangasana etc for abdomen and spine are recommended.
Regular exercise helps improve bioavailability of the medicine and food ingested and leads to positive health.
Yoga can maintain harmony within and with surroundings.
Pavanamuktasana
Vajrasana
Bhujangasana
Exercises for Low backache
All the exercises and physical exertions must be decided and done under the supervision of a medical expert only.
Recommended diet and behaviour
Diet:
- To be avoided
Heavy meals and difficult to digest foods – cause indigestion.
junk foods- cause disturbance in digestion and reduces the bioavailability of the medicine
carbonated drinks – makes the stomach more acidic and disturbed digeastion
refrigerated and frozen foods – causes weak and sluggish digestion by weakening agni (digestive fire)
curd – causes vidaaha and thereby many other diseases
- To be added
Light meals and easily digestible foods
Green gram, soups, buttermilk boiled with turmeric, ginger and curry leaves
freshly cooked and warm food processed with cumin seeds, ginger, black pepper, ajwain etc
Behaviour:
Better to avoid exposure to excessive sunlight wind rain or dust.
Avoid lifting heavy weights and other vigorous physical activities.
Maintain a regular food and sleep schedule.
Avoid sitting continuously for a long time. Avoid sedentary lifestyle.
Side effects and contraindications
No known side effects reported.
Contraindications
People with IBS or a sensitive stomach may develop diarrhoea when not supervised by a qualified Ayurveda physician.
Classical references
SUSRUTASAMHITA CHIKITHSA 4/4
Equivalent medicines.
Chiruvilwadi kashayam
Saptasaram kashaym
Brands Available
Keraleeya Ayurveda samajam
SNA oushadhasala
AVN Madurai
Research papers
Chitraka
Effect on obesity and hypercholesterolaemia and anti-inflammatory property.
Indrayava
Case study-hyperglycaemia
Study on Paatha dwaya
Study including anti-diabetic and anti-hypercholesterolaemic properties
Katuka
Study in Non-alcoholic fatty liver
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3087357/
Hareetaki
ANTI DIABETIC AND RENAL PROTECTION
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