Articles

Chronic inflammatory disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid conditions, and inflammatory bowel disturbances remain a significant burden on global healthcare systems, with conventional allopathic anti-inflammatory therapy often limited by adverse gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular effects on long-term use. Traditional systems of medicine, particularly Ayurveda and Unani (Tibb), have historically employed herbal and herbo-mineral formulations — including guggulu-based compounds, Rasna Saptak Kwath, and Unani muhallil (resolvent) preparations — for the management of inflammatory conditions, with mechanisms increasingly explored through modern pharmacological and phytochemical analysis. This study undertakes a comparative evaluation of classical Ayurvedic and Unani anti-inflammatory formulations, examining their reported clinical efficacy, safety profiles, and proposed mechanisms of action alongside standard allopathic NSAID therapy. Secondary objectives include reviewing standardization and quality-control practices for herbal formulations, and identifying opportunities for integrative treatment protocols that combine traditional and allopathic approaches under evidence-based clinical supervision. Findings are intended to support pharmacovigilance, standardization initiatives, and future controlled-trial design in integrative inflammatory-disease management.

Regimenal therapy (Ilaj bil Tadbeer), encompassing procedures such as hijama (cupping), dalk (massage), and takmeed (fomentation), represents a distinctive non-pharmacological treatment modality within the Unani system of medicine, widely used for musculoskeletal pain conditions including lower back pain, cervical spondylosis, and joint stiffness. This clinical evaluation assesses reported pain reduction, functional mobility outcomes, and patient-reported quality-of-life measures following a structured course of regimenal therapy, and compares these outcomes against standard allopathic physiotherapy and analgesic management for equivalent presenting complaints. The evaluation further discusses procedural standardization, practitioner training requirements, and safety considerations for regimenal therapy delivery, with the aim of informing integrative pain-management protocols within multidisciplinary allopathic and traditional-medicine clinical settings.

Herbo-mineral formulations prepared through the classical Ayurvedic discipline of Rasashastra — incorporating processed metals and minerals such as purified mercury, sulphur, and various bhasmas — have long been valued for their reported potency in chronic and degenerative conditions, but continue to attract regulatory scrutiny over heavy-metal content and standardized manufacturing practice. This review examines current pharmaceutical standards governing the preparation, purification (shodhana), and incineration (marana) processes central to Rasashastra manufacturing, alongside heavy-metal testing protocols mandated by AYUSH regulatory frameworks and international pharmacopoeial limits. The review further evaluates published toxicological and clinical-safety literature on select Rasashastra preparations, identifies gaps in standardized testing infrastructure across manufacturing units, and proposes a framework for strengthening quality assurance, batch consistency, and pharmacovigilance reporting to support the continued safe integration of these preparations into allopathic-adjacent clinical care.

Rural and tribal communities across many regions continue to rely substantially on locally available medicinal plants for primary healthcare, guided by ethnobotanical knowledge transmitted through generations of traditional and folk-medicine practitioners. This ethnopharmacological survey documents plant species, preparation methods, and reported therapeutic indications used within selected rural community healthcare practices, cross-referencing findings against classical Ayurvedic and Unani texts to assess correspondence with codified traditional-medicine systems. The study also evaluates conservation status and sustainable harvesting practices for the most frequently cited species, given increasing pressure on wild medicinal-plant populations from commercial demand. Findings contribute to the growing body of ethnopharmacological literature supporting bioprospecting, community-based conservation, and the scientific validation of traditional remedies as candidates for further pharmacological investigation.

Digestive disorders including dyspepsia, hyperacidity, and functional bowel complaints are among the most frequently presenting complaints in Unani (Tibb) clinical practice, where single herbal drugs (mufradat) such as Zeera Siyah, Podina, and Anjeer are widely prescribed based on classical texts. However, variability in raw material sourcing, harvesting season, and processing methods presents ongoing challenges for consistent therapeutic quality and regulatory acceptance. This study undertakes pharmacognostic characterization and phytochemical profiling of commonly used Unani single drugs indicated for digestive disorders, establishing macroscopic, microscopic, and physicochemical standardization parameters alongside preliminary phytoconstituent screening. Results are discussed in relation to existing Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia and Unani Pharmacopoeia of India standards, with recommendations for strengthening quality-control protocols to support safe, reproducible, and pharmacopoeially compliant use of these traditional digestive remedies in contemporary integrative practice.