Alternative System of

Medicine
Introduction
Pharmacognosy has been basically evolved as an applied
science pertaining to the study of all types of drugs of
natural origin.
Traditional Chinese Medicine System
o The use of herbs as medicine is mentioned in China
and Japan .
o The first herbal classic written in china as published in
the Qin Dynasty called the Agriculture .Emperors
Materia Medica.
o The first plants discovered and used were usually for
digestive system disorders
o The herbs became more useful for an increasing
number of ailments , and eventually the herbal tonics
were created.
o Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the principle
of Yin & Yang theory .
o Yang represents the force of light and Yin represents
the forces of darkness.
Treatment
o Every herb has its own properties which include its
energy , its flavour , its movement and its related
meridians to which it is connected to.
There are four types of energies are:
 Cold & cool (fever , thirst , sore throat & general heat

diseases)
 Warm & hot ( cold sensations in limbs)
Five flavors of herbs
 Pungent (circulation of blood)
 sour (constrict , obstruct & solidify )
 Sweet(nourishing deficiency, harmonizing other herbs

or reduce toxicity)
 Salty(soften hardness, lubricate intestines & drain

downward)
 Bitter(bowel movements, reduce fever & hot

sensations.)
 After absorption , herbs can move in four different
directions :
 Upward towards the head
 Downward towards the lower extremities
 Inward towards the digestion organs
 Outward towards the superficial regions of

body
Indian Systems of Medicine
Indian traditional medicine is based on different systems
including
 Ayurveda
 Siddha
 Unani
Ayurveda
Ayurvedic system of medicine is accepted as the oldest
written medical system that is also supposed to be more
effective in certain cases than modern therapies.
The word ayurveda means Ayur meaning life & veda
meaning science .
The Indian methodolgy states four veda written by
Aryans : Rig Veda , Sam Veda , Yajur Veda & Atharva
veda .
Basic principles of ayurveda
Five basic elements or pancha bhutas:
1. Prithvi (earth )
2. Jal (water)
3. Teja ( fire )
4. Vayu (air )
5. Akash (space)
A human body is in a state of continuous flux or
dynamic equilibrium .
 There are three doshas in the body known as tridoshas:
1. Vata (large intestine )
2. Pitta(digestive organs )
3. Kapha (chest )
The factors responsible for movement & sensations in a
single cell whole body representatives of vata
 Dhatus is the body constituents and form the basic
structure of the body:
1. Rasa ( food juices)
2. Rakta (heamoglobin portion of the blood)
3. Mamsa (muscle tissue )
4. Medas (fat tissue )
5. Asthi ( bone tissue )
6. Majja (bone marrow )
7. Shukra (semen)
  Malas are the by products of dhatus , partly used by the
body & partly excreted as waste matter after the
process of digestion is over.
1. Prasad ( useful matter )
2. Malas (waste matter )
3. The chief malas & mutra (urine )
4. Shakrit (faeces )
5. Sweda (perspiration )
Diagnosis
The classical clinical examination in ayurveda is called
ashta sthana pariksha (eight-point diagnosis )
1. Nadi pariksha (pulse diagnosis)
2. Mutra pariksha (urine examination)
3. Vata sparsha (nervous system assessment )
4. Pitta/drik (assessment of digestive fire & metabolic
secretions )
5. Kapha/akriti(mucous & mucoid secretions
assessment)
6. Mala pariksha (stool examination)
7. Jihva pariksha (tongue examination )
8.Shabda pariksha (examination of body sounds)
Treatment
In ayurveda , before starting the treatment , a person’s
constitutional type should be determined . Drugs are
prescribed based on the patient’s body type as well as
on what disease or disturbance of the doshas they are
suffering from.
 Ayurveda therapy often begins with
 Shodhana (cleansing )
 Shamana (palliative treatment)
 Rasayana (rejuvenation therapy)

Properties of herbs
Ayurvedic herbs are describes & classified according to
five major properties :
 Rasa
PROPERTIES OF HERBS
Rasa Elements Action
Madhura (sweet) Earth + water Increases kapha ,
decreases pitta
Amla (sour ) Earth + fire Increases
kapha/pitta,decreases
vata
Lavana (salty) Water + fire Increases kapha /
pitta , decreases vata
Katu (pungent) Fire + air Increases vata /
pitta , decreases
kapha / pitta
Tikta (bitter) Air + ether Increases vata ,
decreases kapha
/pitta
Kashaya (astringent) Air + earth Increases vata,
decreases kapha/pitta
Guna represents the physical aspects of a medicinal
substance .
 Gunas generally considered in pairs .
 Cold/hot , wet/dry , soft/hard , & stable / unstable etc.

Veerya represents the active principle or potency of a

drug .
Two divisons are sita veerya (indicates kapha varag)&
ushna veerya (indicates pitta varag)
 Vipaka is the quality a substance takes on after it has
been acted on by the body.
 The three types of vipaka are:
 Madhura(increase kapha)
 Sour(increase pitta)
 Katu(increase vata)

Prabhava is the activity or influence of a drug in the

body
 SIDDHA SYSTEM OF
MEDICINE
SIDDHA system is practice in southern india. The
origin of the TAMIL language is atributed to the sage
agasthya.
 This civilization has a system of medidince to deal with

problems of sanitation and treatment of diseases.The

therapeutics of siddha medicines consist mainly of the
use of metals and mineral.
 Mercury,sulphur,gold and copper used as therapeutics

agents.
 Principle of siddha system of medicine:
Universe consist of two entities: matter and energy. The bhutas
of Siddha system of medicine are following:
 Munn(solid)
 Neer (fluid)
 Thee(radiance)
 Vayu(gas)
 Aakasam(ether)

The physiological function in the body is mediated by three

substance (dhoshas):
 Vatham
 Pitham
 Karpam

The seven dhatus are following:

 Rasa (lymph)
 Kurudhi (blood)
 Tasai (muscle)
 kozhuppu (adipose tissue)
 Elumbo (bone)
 Majjai (marrow)
 Sukkilam and artavam (male and female hormones)
 Method of treatment
The treatment for the imbalane of the Tridoshas are made up of
five elements are following:
 Prana (located in mouth and nostrils
 Apana (located an anal extremity)
 Samana (aids digestion)
 Vyana (circulation of blood)
 Udana (functions in upper respiratory passage)

SIDDHA pharmacy:
 Mercury: mercury occupies very high place in SIDDHA
medicine. it is used as a catalytic agent
 Siddha use five form of mercury:
 Mercury metal
 Red sulphide of mercury
 Mercury chloride
 Mercury subchloride
 Red oxide of mercury

Classification of Siddha medicine:

 Uppu
 Pashanam
 Uparasam
 Loham
 Rasam
 Gandhakam
 Ratnas and uparatnas

Sulphur: calcined sulphur or red oxide of sulphur can be

obtain by solidifying it first by the method of purification.
therapeutics ally is used against skin
disease,asthama,joundice and blood poisoning.
Arsenic: arsenic is effective against all fever and anemia.
Gold: it is alternative,antidote to poison and a powerfull
sexual stimulant.
 Unani system of medicine
Unani system of medicine is originate is Greece by Greek
philosopher,physicisan Hippocrates(460-377 B.B.).
Hippocrtes after him, a number of other greek scholars
followed the system. Among them Galen,was the one to
stabilize its foundation,on which Arabs physicians like
Raazes and Avicenna construct an imposing edifice.
Unani consider the human body is consist of five
components.
 Arkan(elements)
 Mizaj ( temperament )
 Aklath ( humours )
 Anza ( organs )
 Arawh ( spirit )
 Quo ( faculties )
 Afal ( functions )

Diagnosis: Diseases are mainly diagnosed with a help

of pulse ( nabz ) and physical examination of urin and
stool.
Treatment : The diseases are treated in following
ways:
 Ilaj bil tadbeer (regimental therapy )
 Ilaj bil ghiza ( diatotherapy)
 Ilaj bil dava (pharmacotherapy )
 Ilaj bil yaad ( surgery )
Homeopathic system of medicine

Homeopathy is a specialized system of therapeutics

developed by Dr. Samuel Friedrich Hahnemann (1755
– 1843) , a german physician , chemist and a
pharmasist , based on natural law of healing : “similia
similibus curantus” , which mean “likes are cured by
likes” Homois means like and Pathos mean treatment .
Fundamental principles of
homeopathy
They are as follows :
 Law of similia
 Law of simplex
 Law of minima
 Drug proving
 Drug dynamization or potentization
 Vital force
 Acute and chronic diseases
 Individualization
 Direction of cure
Aromatherapy
 The word Aroma therapy mean treatment using scents.
It refers to the use of essential oil to improve health and
emotional wellbeing. Essential oils are aromatic
essence extracted from plants , flowers , tree ,
bark ,grasses and seeds.
 There are more than 150 types of oil can be extracted.

These oils are antiviral , anti-inflammatory , pain

relieving , anti-depressant ,stimulating , relaxing ,
support digestion and have diuretic properties too.
 They enter the body in three ways: by inhalation ,

absorption and consumption

Origin of Aromatherapy
 The title Aromatherapy was coined by Gattefosse , a
french chemist in the year of 1928. He identified the
use of Aromatic oil accidently when he burned his hand
by working in his lab immediately he pooled his hand
inside a bottle containing levender oil the burned
healed quickly due to levender oil and left little scaring.
 ESSENTIAL OILS
 Clary sage (salvia scared )
 Eucalyptus (eucalyptus globules )
 Geranium (pelargonium graveolens)
 Levender (levendula limon officinalis)
 Lemon (citrus lemon )
 Pepermint (mentha pipetrita)
 Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis)