2015, Vol.5, No.1

CELLMED 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.03

pISSN : 3022-6805 / eISSN : 3022-6791
https://journal.kci.go.kr/cellmed

Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) is an important Rasayana herb and widely considered as Indian ginseng in Ayurveda. In traditional system of Indian medicine, it is used as tonic to rejuvenate the body and increase longevity. In Ayurvedic preparations, various parts of the plant have been used to treat variety of ailments that affect the human health. However, dried roots of the plant are widely used for the treatment of nervous and sexual disorders. The major active chemical constituents of this plant are withanolides, which is responsible for its wide range of biological activities. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a significant amount of research has been done and efforts are ongoing to further explore other bioactive constituents, and many pharmacological studies have been carried out to describe their disease preventing mechanisms. In this chapter, we have reviewed the chemistry and pharmacological basis of W. somnifera in various human ailments.

According to the traditional Korean medicine, Dampness-heat (DH) is an abnormal state of the body that results in a pathological accumulation of dampness and heat. DH is caused by overeating fatty, sweet foods or overdrinking alcohol. Exposure to hot and humid atmospheres is another cause of DH. Although many experimental animal model on various diseases related with DH syndrome were established, DH syndrome dermatitis model is not established. Thus, we introduce the experimental animal model of the dermatitis with DH syndrome.

Pharmacovigilance is the study of the safety of drugs under the practical conditions of clinical usage in large communities. Aim of this study was to assess the pharmacovigilance awareness among a focus group of Ayurveda physicians in Sri Lanka who participated for their postgraduate studies. A questionnaire which was suitable for assessing the basic knowledge, attitude and the practice of pharmacovigilance was designed and submitted among group of Ayurveda physicians (n = 30) who participated for postgraduate studies in Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Among participants 30% of the subjects knew the term pharmacovigilance, 20% were aware of the unavailability of the National Pharmacovigilance Program for Ayurveda and Traditional Medicine in Sri Lanka, 70% believe about Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) may be occurred from Ayurveda medicine, 60% indicated that Most labeled counterfeit drugs, inappropriate use and standardization problems as the most important causes of ADRs associated with Ayurvedic drugs, 70% physicians accepted their ignorance about pharmacovigilance and admitted that there was a need for better training of this subject and 90% admitted that there should be a national pharmacovigilance programme for Ayurveda medicines in Sri Lanka.We strongly suggest that there is an urgent need for a regular training and the introduce ADRs reporting system among the Ayurveda physicians. Also systematic pharmacovigilance programme is essential to build up for reliable information on the safety and effective practice of Ayurveda medicine in Sri Lanka.