Sukumara Ghritam is an Ayurvedic medicine for improving health and immunity. Apart from curing many visceral and systemic diseases, It is used widely as an immunity modulator especially after chemotherapy. It also helps to treat degenerative & chronic ailments where immunity is compromised.
Benefits of Sukumara Ghritam
Though it is a ghrutham based formulation, it is also known as Sukumara rasayanam as it contains castor oil, milk, and jaggery and many of the herbs are nourishing, strengthening and aphrodisiac in potency.
It is very effective in degenerative diseases especially when the patient is physically weak. It is also advised to be taken by normal people who are physically weak due to continuous travelling, physical exertion etc. It improves the stamina of the person. Ideal rasayana for athletes and sports persons.
The name Sukumara means beautiful but I Ayurveda the term refers to a person who cannot withstand any harsh or even mild suffering. Thiscombnation is specially advised for such people.It can also be considered as the best Rasayana for very busy persons like Eswara, Raja etc who cant follow the strict rules of Rasayanasevanavidhi. It will not cause ny harm even if strict Pathya is not followed.
By using it for a long time, a person gets Beauty, Youthfulness and nourishment.
It is also used in the treatment of indigestion with pain, flatulence and distension of abdomen. It relieves constipation.
It removes obstructions in channels and improves circulation. It reduces visceral oedema.
It is beneficial in cysts and growths in various parts of abdomen. It is especially beneficial in Apaanavayuvaigunya. It is useful in a lot of menstrual disorders like endometriosis, ovarian cyst, and dysmenorrhoea.
It can be used to treat various diseases like oedema, ascites, splenomegaly, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatic disorders, appendicitis, renal disorders, PCOD etc.
It is used in painful conditions of pelvic area like prostratomegaly, hernia, hydrocele, vaginismus etc.
Indications of Sukumara Ghritam
Vaataatapaadhwayaanadi pariharyeshu ayantranam
Sukumaranam esawaranam sukhatmanam prayojyam
Alakshmikalinasanam for streevrndabhartrnaam nrnam
Sarvakalopayogena kaantilaavanyapushtidam
Vardhma – Many conditions where oedema and swelling of visceral organs present, prostratomegaly, hydrocele, hernia, tumours, cysts etc.
Vidradhi – Abscesses
Gulma – Various conditions of indigestion with pain & distension of abdomen
Arsas – Haemorrhoids
Yoni-Medhra anilarthi – Pain of vagina and penis
Sopha – Oedema
Udara – Ascites
Khuda – Rheumatoid arthritis
Pleeha – Splenomegaly
Vidvibandha – Constipation
Ingredients of Sukumara Ghritam
| Spreading hogweed | Punarnava | Boerhavia diffusa |
The name Punarnava means it has the capability to repair and regenerate itself. It does the same function in our body also. It is an important anti-inflammatory medicinal herb well known for its diuretic and antioedematous properties. Here it works as a diuretic, by balancing the water retention at the same time helping to reduce oedema in the visceral organs being beneficial in ascites, splenomegaly etc. It can eliminate the unwanted fluid collected in tissues and reduce swelling and thereby reverse inflammation.
DASAMOOLAM
It is a group of roots of ten herbs used as a combination in many formulations in Ayurveda.
Dasamoola is the Sanskrit name for a group of medicinal plants, classified as proving beneficial in cases of Asthma and difficult respiration. It was originally composed by Acharya Sushrutha. The name is derived from the words dasa (ten) and moola, translating to “root”. It includes the plants from the Laghupanchamoola and Bṛhatpanchamoola groups of medicinal plants.As discussed, t is a group of roots of ten herbs used as a combination in many formulations in Ayurveda.
Used together as a combination in Ayurvedic formulations, Dasamoola has Anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. It works as a strong anti-rheumatic agent. It is useful in reducing edema. Being mainly Vaatahara it gives strength to the body. It is useful in all diseases related to nerves and muscles.
The ten plants included in Dasamoola are,
| Indian bael | Bilwa | Aegle marmelos |
It has anti-inflammatory properties and it is effective in peptic ulcer. It is anti-diarrhoeal, anti-diabetic and anti-microbial. Being a part of Dasamoola (group of roots of Ten plants) it helps to enhance its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
| Headache tree | Agnimantha | Premna integrifolia Linn. |
It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antinociceptive, anti-arthritic, anti-bacterial, anti-cancerous, anti-microbial, anthelmintic, immuno-modulatory, hypoglycaemic, neuro-protective and anti-ulcer properties. It is CNS depressant, Cardiac stimulant, and cardio-protective.
| Indian trumpet flower | Syonaka | Oroxylum indicum |
It has anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, immune-modulatory, nephro-protective, and cardio-protective properties.
| Yellow snake tree | Paatala | Stereospermum suaveolens |
It is useful in the treatment of diabetes, pain, fever, inflammations and asthma.
| Beechwood | Gambhari | Gmelina arborea |
It has anti-pyretic, analgesic, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anthelmintic, anti-microbial, cardio-protective, anti-ulcer, gastro-protective, anti-cancerous, anti-hyperlipidemic and immunomodulatory activity. It is the one of the main ingredients in Dasamoola for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic property.
| Dabra | Prisniparni | Uraria picta |
It has anti-inflammatory, expectorant and diuretic properties. It is used as a tonic to nerves and heart. It is useful in bone fracture healing.
| Sal leaved desmodium | Saliparni | Desmodium gangeticum |
It is famous for its cardioprotective properties. It helps to strengthen the heart muscles. It has analgesic, aphrodisiac, diuretic, febrifuge, anti-inflammatory and haemorrhagic properties. It is used to treat fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, cough and asthma.
| Brihati | Solanum indicum |
It has anti-oxidants. It also has anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, immune-modulatory, neuroprotective, diaphoretic, expectorant and stimulant properties.
| Kantakari | Solanum xanthocarpum |
It has anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities. It possesses anti-asthmatic, hypoglycaemic, hepatoprotective, anti-bacterial and insect repellent properties.
| Puncture vine | Gokshura | Tribulus terrestris |
It is useful in diseases such as hormonal imbalance, sexual problems, heart problems, kidney problems and various skin diseases. It helps in reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
| Giant potato | Payasya | Ipomoea mauritiana |
It is a known diuretic, depurative, carminative, anthelmintic, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial herb.It is a rejuvenator and restorative tonic for brain and body. It is anti-ageing, spermatogenic, immune-modulator, aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, galactagogue, and cardiac tonic.
It can be used in emaciation, tuberculosis and other conditions of malnourishment. It is beneficial in some cardiovascular diseases, hepato-splenomegaly, fertility disorders, menopausal syndrome, sexual debility, and disorders of sperm quality & quantity.
| Indian ginseng | Aswagandha | Withania somnifera |
The plant has been used as an aphrodisiac, liver tonic, anti-inflammatory agent, and more recently to treat asthma, ulcers, insomnia, and senile dementia. Clinical trials and animal research support the use of ashwagandha for anxiety, cognitive and neurological disorders, inflammation, and Parkinson’s disease.
| Castor bean plant | Eranda | Ricinus communis |
It has evident antimicrobial activity and is a strong laxative. Its leaf, root and seed oil are used as anti-inflammatory & antioxidant. Also, its antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities are evident.
| Wild asparagus | Satavari | Asparagus racemosus |
It has anti-oxidants and immuno-stimulants. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-bacterial, anti-oxytocic, and reproductive agents.
| Cogongrass/ alang-alang | Kusa | Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. |
It is astringent, anti-pyretic, diuretic haemostatic, restorative, rejuvenative and tonic. It can be used in urinary tract infection, dysuria, burning sensation, excess thirst, bleeding disordxers etc.
| Kans grass | Kasa | Saccharum spontaneum L. |
It is nourishing, soothing, improves strength, aphrodisiac, relieves fatigue & lethargy. It can be used in malnourishment, bleeding disorders, dysuria, kidney & bladder calculi, burning sensation, bleeding piles, excessive uterine bleeding etc.
| Pin red grass | Nala/Sara | Saccharum munja Roxb. |
It is a coolant and tonic. It can be used in the treatment of fever, inflammation, dysuria, giddiness, vertigo, and bleeding wounds. It improves breast milk in lactating women.
| Halfa grass/ salt reed-grass | Darbha | Dsmostachia bipinnata Stapf. |
It is a coolant. Used in the treatment of heroes, burning sensation, leucorrhoea, excess thirst, urinary infection, urinary calculus and diseases of urinary bladder.
| Sugarcane | Ikshu | Saccarum officinarum |
It is sweet in taste and cold in potency. It cures burning sensation associated with urinary tract infection. It is a diuretic and increases the quantity of urine. It gives energy and strength. It increases the blood glucose levels fast.
| Cattail | Potagala | Typhia elephantina Bora. |
It is used in the treatment of boils, wounds, burns, scab disorders, bacterial infections, blood clotting disorders, cystitis, leprosy, strangury, and splenic enlargement. Moreover, the plant is also reported to have various therapeutic activities including membrane stabilizing potential, anthelmintic, thrombolytic, antioxidant, wound healing, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and cytotoxic activities.
| Long pepper | Kana/ Krishna | Piper longum |
It has carminative action and maybe used as appetizer. The fruit and root of Pippali are used in the form of powder to treat fever, diarrhoea, piles, cough, hiccough, asthma, hoarseness of voice, flatulence, colic, vomiting, acid gastritis, oedema, diseases of mouth, eye diseases, diseases of semen, diseases of women, jaundice, and earache.
Pippali mixed with honey alleviates cough, dyspnoea, fever splenomegaly, and hiccough.
| Long pepper – root | Pippaleemoola | Piper longum |
It is pungent in taste and hot in potency. It breaks down thick sputum and is beneficial in sinusitis and asthma. It is also useful in the treatment of worm infestation, infected wounds, ascites, enlargement of abdomen, distension of abdomen, splenomegaly, asthma, tuberculosis and other chronic respiratory disorders. It improves taste and relieves anorexia.
Saindava
| Liquorice | Yashtimadhu | Glycyrrhiza glabra L. |
It has anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-malarial, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-hyperglycaemic and hepato-protective properties.
| Black grapes | Mridweeka/Draksha | Vitis vinifera L. |
Grapes are a nourishing and slightly laxative fruit that can support the body through illness, especially of the gastro-intestinal tract and liver. Because the nutrient content of grapes is close to that of blood plasma, grape fasts are recommended for detoxification. The fresh fruit is antilithic, constructive, cooling, diuretic and strengthening. The fruit is also helpful in the treatment of varicose veins, haemorrhoids and capillary fragility. The dried fruit is demulcent, cooling, mildly expectorant, laxative and stomachic. It has a slight effect in easing coughs. It is used as a remedy for skin diseases and in diseases of the eyes.
| Ajwain | Yavaani / Deepyaka | Trachyspermum ammi (L.) SPRAGUE |
The seeds of this plant are used in the form of powder to treat worms. It acts as an appetiser, carminative and aids digestion. It is also beneficial in treatment of colic.
| Dried ginger | Nagara | Zingiber officinalis |
It is unctuous and hot in potency with pungent taste but becomes sweet after digestion. It is an aphrodisiac and balances vata and kapha.
It improves ability to taste and promotes digestion. Relieves cough cold and other respiratory problems. It is not a laxative, rather causes constipation.
Details of the manufacturing
As already discussed, Sukumaram ghrutha has 27 herbal ingredients, jaggery, castor oil, rock salt and cow’s ghee.
All herbal ingredients should be washed well and dried up in shade.
For preparation of ghrithakalpana,
We use
- Snehadravya
Ghrutha (Cow’s ghee) – 1 Prastha
Erandataila (Castor oil) – 2 Prastha
- Kashayadravya (For decoction) – 64 Prastha water boiled and reduced into 1/8 parts
Punarnava – 1Thulam
Dasamoola
Payasya
Aswagandha
Eranda
Satavari 10 Pala each
Darbha
Kusa
Kasa
Sara
Kaasa
Ikshumoola
Potagala
- Kalkadravya (For making paste) – 2 Pala each
Krishna
Pippaleemoola
Saindhavam
Yashtimadhu
Mridweeka
Yavani
Nagara
Take the prescribed herbs for decoction in dried & crushed form in an earthen pot. Now add 64 Prastha 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 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. To this decoction, add the Kalka (paste form of drugs) and continue cooking it in low fire. To this, add jaggery & cow’s ghee and continue cooking. Stir in between. Check the Paaka as per Snehapakavidhi. Once the desired Paaka is attained, filter the ghruta and keep it in air tight glass bottles after cooling. Ghrutha can be used for a longer period of time without any preservatives.
Dosha Dooshya Predominance with roga marga.
Sukumara Ghritam is Tridoshahara and rasayana.
It acts on aabhyantara, baahya and madhyama rogamarga
Dosage and Usage of Sukumara ghrutham
Dosage:
Depends upon the digestive power of the person. Usually it is given 15g-20g twice daily in a person with good appetite and digestion as samanasneha.
Usage:
When used as Samanasneha, Ghrutham is advised to take in empty stomach, once the ingested food is digested well and when the person has appetite.
Usage of ghrutham with prescribed prakshepadravyas according to the condition of disease and the patient gives the best results mostly.
Exercises and Yoga.
As Sukumara ghrutham targets mainly the apaanavayu and immunity, regular exercises are advised. Also, specific Yogacharya including naadisuddhi pranayama, bhujangaasana, is recommended.
Regular exercise helps improve the bioavailability of medicine and food ingested and leads to positive health.
Yoga can maintain harmony within the body and with the surrounding system.
Nadisudhi pranayama
Bhujangasana
Simple exercises for lungs and heart health
All the exercises and physical exertions must be decided and done under the supervision of a medical expert only.
Recommended diet and behavior
Diet:
- To be avoided
Heavy meals and difficult to digest foods – cause indigestion.
junk foods- cause a disturbance in digestion and reduces the bioavailability of the medicine
carbonated drinks – makes the stomach more acidic and disturbed digestion
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.
Drinking water boiled with dried ginger.
Green gram, soups, milk, ghee, fruits and vegetables, dry fruits and nuts in moderate quantity.
freshly cooked and warm food processed with cumin seeds, ginger, black pepper, ajwain, etc
Behavior:
Protect yourself from very hot & cold climate.
Better to avoid exposure to excessive sunlight, wind, rain, or dust.
Maintain a regular food and sleep schedule.
Avoid holding or forcing urges like urine, faeces, cough, sneeze, etc.
Avoid sedentary life. Be active.
Side effects and contraindications
No known side effects reported.
Contraindication
People with derangement in fat metabolism; may it be Hyperlipidaemia or obesity or hypercholesteremia or atherosclerosis or hypertension. Most of these, associated with weak digestion, too. In such people, the ghee preparation may worsen the condition rather than curing it. But the same herbs in a water-soluble form in the decoction can act as the cure for many such derangements, even for hypercholesterolemia.
Diabetic patients should not take it as it contains sugarcane and jaggery
Classical references
ASHTANGAHRUDAYAM CHIKITHSASTHANAM 13/41-47
Equivalent medicines.
Varanadi ghrutham
Brands Available
Research papers
Payasya
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103704/
https://clinphytoscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40816-020-00185-w
Satavari
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16357948/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027291/
Draksha
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6562865/
Kusha and Darbha
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665103/
Nala/Sara
https://rjptonline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2010-3-3-1
Punarnava
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4053255/
Potagala
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24351705/
https://rjptonline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2020-13-11-83
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