A review on Epilepsy (Apasmara)

Abstract

The chief source of ancient Indian Aryan culture and medicine are the four Vedas that are traditionally believed to be revealed to the sages by Brahma (the creator) some 6,000 years before Christian era. Most western scholars believe that the oldest of the four Vedas was compiled during the second millennium BC. The word Ayurveda (in Sanskrit Ayu means life, and Veda means to know) means the knowledge of life by which the nature of life is understood and thus life is prolonged. Unfortunately Ayurveda is not available in its original form, but most of its contents are revealed to us by the Samhitas (the encyclopedic works) of Charaka and Sushruta. These texts originally written about 1,000 BC are considered to be the most authentic and renowned representatives of the original Ayurveda. There are abundant references to all aspects of epilepsy including symptomatology, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment in the Ayurvedic literature. The eighth chapter of Nidanasthana (diagnosis) and tenth chapter of Chikitsasthana (treatment) of the Charaka Samhita are devoted exclusively to epilepsy. Convulsions (Akshepaka), apoplectic fits (Apatantraka), and hysterical fits (Daruna Apatantraka) are few of the important nervous system disorders mentioned. In most Ayurvedic texts, epilepsy has been mentioned as Apasmara or Apasmrti, and has been described as one of the earliest eight diseases known (diagnosed) that can be controlled only with medical therapies and can sometimes be remain incurable and uncontrolled.