Ayurvedic medicine, treatment and remedies for Typhoid

Ayurveda states that jivanu (organisms) are the causative factor for the antrik jwara (a type of fever) caused in typhoid. It causes symptoms such as jwara (fever), shirahshula (headache), aruchi (loss of taste), arati (loss of interest in activities), and malabaddhata (constipation). Typhoid can be treated using herbal formulations that are already in use by the Indian tribes and Ayurvedic physicians. Most herbs used to treat typhoid are of katu and tikta rasa (pungent and bitter taste) and have jwaraghna (fever-destroying) and krimighna (organism-destroying) properties. They kill or displace the microbes by decreasing the malas (waste materials in the body) or kapha on which the bacteria stay and grow.

Shodhana (cleansing) treatment

Langhana

The main treatment procedure for jwara is langhana. The word langhana typically means upavasa (fasting), which leads to a state of apatarpana (reduced nourishment of the body). The therapy aims at creating a balance between the dhatus and doshas, bringing lightness to the body.

Fasting is of two types – nirahaar (complete abstinence from food) and phalahara (eating only fruits). Fasting method is chosen based on the prakriti (constitution) of the person. A vata prakriti person is more suitable to the phalahara method, whereas a pitta or kapha prakriti person can follow the nirahaar fasting method. Because of fasting, vata and agni (digestive fire) become aggravated and lead to a catabolic state that helps in balancing the vitiated doshas in the body. This provides relief from the accumulated kapha and malas, the root cause of typhoid fever. Langhana is used to address many diseases other than typhoid including atisaar (diarrhoea), visuchika (cholera), vibhanda (constipation), alasaka (flatulence), chardi (vomiting), etc. According to Charaka, the best seasons to perform langhana are Hemanta and Shishir (winter months). Langhana is contraindicated in people who have vata as their dominant prakriti.

Ayurvedic Herbs for Typhoid

• Bilwaphal (golden apple):
  • Bilwaphal is a herb that has nutritive, aphrodisiac and astringent properties. It increases agni and is thus a digestive stimulant. The herb works in treating disorders like constipation, indigestion, and dysentery. It also helps reduce typhoid fever when given in the early stages.
  • Bilwaphal is an ingredient in various formulations such as chyawanprash and is also available in capsules and syrups.
• Jatamansi (muskroot):
  • Jatamansi has carminative, aromatic, and digestive properties. The herb works in treating, flatulence, jaundice, gastric disorders, and typhoid. It also eliminates impurities in the blood.
  • You can take jatamansi in the form of a powder or infusion.
• Haritaki (chebulic myrobalan):
  • Haritaki is a rejuvenating herb. It acts as a laxative, expectorant (removes phlegm), and is a tonic for the body. It helps in the treatment of various diseases including anaemia, jaundice, and fever.
• Guduchi:
  • Guduchi means “the one that protects the entire body” in the Sanskrit language. The plant is rich in many beneficial components like glycosides, alkaloids and steroids. It has been in use in Ayurvedic as well as folk medicine systems of India for many years.
  • According to Ayurveda, guduchi has the properties of being dahanashaka (cures burning sensation), jwarahara (reduces fever), and mehanashaka (cures metabolic syndromes). Guduchi is used to treat many conditions such as diarrhoea and most types of fever including periodic fever.

Ayurvedic Medicines for Typhoid

• Sitopaladi churna (powder):
  • Sitopaladi churna has been known to work the best in flu and fever. Sitopaladi churna is a mixture of ela (cardamom), mishri (rock sugar), twak (cinnamon), vanshlochan (white-coloured formations in bamboos), and pippali (long pepper).
  • For the treatment of typhoid fever, half a teaspoon of sitopaladi churna is administered along with warm water.

• Sudarshan churna:
  • Sudarshan churna is formulated using 48 herbs. The main herb in the churna is chirayata (bitterstick). This Ayurvedic remedy is known to destroy all types of fevers and was named after the sudarshan chakra seen on the index finger of Lord Vishnu.
  • This herbal formulation is also available in the form of sudarshan ghana vati, which is a concentrated form of the medicine available as a vati (tablet).
• Tribhuvankirti rasa
  • Tribhuvankirti rasa is a herbo-mineral formula, which is commonly used for the treatment of  fevers This formulation is a mixture of pippali (long pepper), maricha (pepper), shunthi (dried ginger), bhasma (borax), shuddha hingula (cinnabar) and other herbs. These herbs are mixed with aqueous extracts of adrak (ginger), tulsi (holy basil), and dhattura (devil’s snare).
  • Tribhuvankirti rasa acts as an antipyretic (reduces fever) analgesic (reduces pain) and it also induces sweating in the body.
• Sanjivani vati
  • Sanjivani vati contains many herbs including triphala (a combination of amalaki [Indian gooseberry], vibhitaki [belleric myrobalan], and haritaki), shunthi, vatsanabha (Indian aconite), guduchi, yastimadhu (mulethi), and bhallataka (Indian nut tree). One of vatsanabha’s components is aconite, which has fever-reducing properties.
  • Sanjivani vati is used in combination with patoladi kashaya, kiratadisapta kashaya, and sudarshan ghana vati to treat typhoid fever. The properties of this medicine aim at reducing rashes, abdominal disturbances, and fever, which are the main symptoms of typhoid.
• Kiratadisapta kashaya
  • Kiratadisapta kashaya is a herbal decoction made by boiling 20 g of the herbal mixture in 80 mL water and reducing it to 20 mL.
  • Kiratatikta, the herb used in this medicine has antipyretic, antihelminthic (destroys parasitic worms), and hypoglycaemic (reduces blood sugar level) properties, which help reduce fever and strengthen the stomach.

Ensure that you consult a qualified Ayurvedic physician before taking any of the above-stated medicines and treatments as they will consider a multitude of factors to plan your treatment. 

Do’s

• Consume cereals like Barley, porridge, gruel and old shali rice.
• Include green gram in your diet.
• Fruit and vegetables such as bitter gourd, grapes, pomegranate, luffa, wood apple, and jivanti (leptadenia) help in quick recovery from typhoid.
• Have light meals.
• Opt for langhana.
• Rest well.

Don’ts

• Avoid eating heavy foods like chickpea and products that contain chickpea.
• Do not eat sesame.
• Do not eat junk food.
• Do not exercise, bathe, sleep during the day, or suppress natural urges.
• Avoid eating foods that will lead to poor digestion, acidity and burning sensation in the stomach.
• Do not drink contaminated water.

According to the results of a research study, sudarshan churna showed good antimicrobial activity, which makes it effective in treating bacterial infections like typhoid.

The virechana treatment method has also been proven to be effective in relieving typhoid symptoms.

Tribhuvankirti should not be given to a person with pitta prakriti as it increases the qualities of pitta in the body.

Tribuvankirti and sanjivani vati have vatsanabha as one of their ingredients. Vatsanabha can sometimes cause severe hypotension (low blood pressure). Hence, these medicines should be taken with extreme caution and only under the direction and supervision of a physician.

If typhoid fever is not detected on time, it could prove fatal. Ayurveda treats typhoid fever with herbal remedies that, unlike modern medicine, do not face the problem of multidrug resistance. Most herbs used in the Ayurvedic treatment of typhoid have properties that can kill typhoid-causing bacteria. Therefore, Ayurveda provides an effective cure for typhoid without causing any side effects.