Management of Ekakushta vis-à-vis Chronic Plaque Psoriasis with Guduchi Kwatha and Karanja Taila - A Clinical Study

Abstract

The prevalence of skin diseases in general population has varied from 7.86% to 11.16% in various studies. All the skin diseases in Ayurveda have been discussed under the umbrella of “Kushta”. Kushta is further divided into Mahakushta and Kshudrakushta. Ekakushta is considered as one among the Kshudrakushta and it is Vata-Kapha Pradhana Vyadhi having Lakshana like Aswedana, Mahavastu and Matsya Shakalavat Twacha. Psoriasis is one of the most intriguing and perplexing disorder of skin. It is a papulosquamous disorder of the skin, characterised by sharply defined erythematous plaque lesions.  It is notoriously chronic and is well known for its cause or remission and exacerbation. Even though it is considered as an autoimmune disorder affecting the skin, it cannot always be treated as a somatic lesion, it is in fact multifactorial in origin and conditioned by various constitutional and environmental factors. A survey conducted by the National Psoriasis Foundation reports that, almost 75% of patients believe that psoriasis had moderate to large negative impact on their quality of life (QOL) with alterations in their daily activities. Guduchi Kwatha along with Karanja Taila which is specifically mentioned in Kushta Chikitsa, taken as intervention after the Virechana Karma.