Clinical evaluation of Shilajatu Rasayana in patients with HIV infection

Abstract

AIDS is one of the serious global health concerns caused by Human Immuno Deficiency(HIV) virus and is predominantly a sexually transmitted disease. Currently there is no vaccine or cure for AIDS still Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) is successful. It reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but is expensive and inaccessible in many countries. However intense the therapy may be, HIV virus is rarely eliminated, and drug resistance is a major setback during long-term therapy. The development of new drugs and strategies and exploring alternative systems of medicine for antiviral herbs or drugs is the need of the age to improve treatment outcomes. Ayurveda describes many diseases which incorporate HIV like illness e.g. Rajayakshma, Ojo Kshaya, Sannipata jwara etc. HIV infection affects multisystems, chiefly the Immune System which can be correlated to Ojo Kshaya. Rasayana Chikitsa is the frontline therapy employed to treat Ojus disorders. Therefore Shilajatu (Mineral pitch), Centella asiatica (Mandukaparni), Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi) and Emblica officinalis (Amalaki), well known for their Immuno-modulator and antioxidant properties were selected to evaluate their role on immune system. The study was carried on 20 patients from OPD and IPD of Kayachikitsa, S.S.Hospital, IMS, BHU and was randomly allocated into Treated group (Shilajatu+ART) and Control group (ART). Treated Group responded better to ART both clinically and biochemically. The results show that Shilajatu decreases the recurrent resistance of HIV virus to ART and improves the outcome of the therapy

Tinospora cordifolia: One plant, many roles

“…[93] The effect of a hydroalcoholic (80% ethanol: 20% distilled water) extract of aerial roots of Tinospora cordifolia on carcinogen/drug metabolizing phase-I and phase-II enzymes, anti-oxidant enzymes, GSH content, LDH and lipid peroxidation has been shown in liver of Swiss albino mice. The enhanced GSH level and enzyme activities involved in xenobiotic metabolism and maintaining anti-oxidant status of cells are suggestive of a chemo-preventive efficacy of Tinospora cordifolia .…”

Review on shilajit used in traditional Indian medicine

“…Clinical studies in HIV patients with a compound formulation containing processed shilajit as one of the essential constituents revealed distinct improvement in the symptoms and augmentation of CD4 and CD8 cell counts. In 22 subjects treated with the above formulation for 6 months, CD4 cell counts increased from 259 ± 119 to 356 ± 203 and CD8 cell counts from 733 ± 483 to 984 ± 356 respectively (Ghosal, 2006;Agarwal et al, 2007;Gupta et al, 2010).…”

Shilajit

“…Sixty-one diabetic subjects were administered shilajit (500 mg each) twice daily for 30 days and they exhibited a significant decrease in serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and increase in catalase (Saxena et al, 2003). Clinical studies involving HIV patients with a compound formulation containing processed shilajit revealed distinct improvement in the symptoms and augmentation of CD4 and CD8 cell counts (Gupta et al, 2010). Thirty-five infertile (oligospermic) male subjects were given 100 mg processed shilajit in capsule form twice daily for 90 days.…”