Treatment of Dementia in Ayurveda with Herbal Remedies

Abstract

Dementia is a neurological disorder in which there is an impairment of memory and language. The brain, spinal cord and nerves make up the nervous system and they control all the working of the body. When there is something wrong in this nervous system then the person is facing symptoms like trouble in moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing, loss of memory, etc. In general, neurological disorders are the disorders that affect the brain as well as the nerves. There are approximately 600 neurological disorders and some of the examples are dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, meningitis, encephalitis, etc. So in this article, we are going to discuss Dementia and its Ayurvedic management.

Introduction

Dementia is a general term used for loss of memory, language, problem solving and other thinking abilities. This disease interferes with the daily activities of the patient. This is not a specific disease, but several diseases can cause this disease known as dementia. This disease generally involves memory loss. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in older patients. Dementia is a general term used for the impaired ability to remember, think or make decisions that interfere with day to day activities. This disease manifests as a set of related symptoms that usually happen when the brain is damaged by injury or any disease.

Treatment of Dementia in Ayurveda with Herbal Remedies

Ayurvedic aspect

We can correlate this disease with Vata roga. Vata is the predominant dosha that causes the symptoms of neurological diseases. Vata has a chal guna that means mobility. Due to this property, it is responsible for this condition. Acharya Charak mentioned that the vata disorders are caused due to the vitiation of vayu that takes place from either wasting of dhatus or obstruction in passage of vessels.

Acharya Charak also mentioned that due to rough diet, cold diet, consumption of little food, excessive coitus, faulty therapeutic management, excessive movements such as leaping, jumping, wayfaring and physical exercise, wasting of dhatus, excessive emaciation due to anxiety, grief and illness, uncomfortable bed and seat, anger, day sleep, fear, suppression of urges, ama dosha can cause the vitiation of vata dosha. This vitiated Vata dosha can lead to the symptoms like contractures, stiffness in joints, crepitations in bones and joints, horripilation, delirium, stiffness in hands, back and head, limping, crippledness, humpedness, drying of organs, sleeplessness, destruction of fetus, sperms and ovum, pulsation, numbness in organs, crookedness of head, nose, eyes, clavicular region and neck, tearing, piercing pain, distress, convulsion, mental confusion and exhaustion.

Etiology/Causes

This disease is caused by damage to the brain. This disease occurs when the part of the brain that involves learning, memory, decision-making and language is affected. The other causes of dementia can be grouped as:

Degenerative neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, etc
Vascular disorders such as multi-infarct dementia
Infections that affect the central nervous system such as HIV, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, etc
Long term drug or alcohol use
Depression

Clinical features/Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of this disease are:

Forget recent events or information
Repeating comments or questions
Experiencing a change in mood, behavior or interests
Inability to remember and make decisions
Talking and finding the right words is difficult
Change in sleeping pattern
Hallucinations
Delusions
Anxiety
Behavioral symptoms such as agitation, restlessness, etc

Stages of dementia

The course of this disease is described in four stages

Pre-dementia stage
Early stage dementia
Middle stage dementia
Late stage dementia

1. Pre-dementia stage

This stage can include pre-clinical and prodromal stages. In the preclinical stage there is sensory dysfunction, loss of sense of smell, depression, loss of appetite. There is damage in the chemosensory networks and in the prodromal stage, there is a mild cognitive impairment and mild behavioral impairment.

2. Early stage

In this disease the symptoms become noticeable and the symptoms may interfere with daily activities. The symptoms include memory difficulty, word finding problems, and problems with recalling events.

3. Middle stage

When dementia progresses, the initial symptoms get worse. In this stage, a person loses almost all the new information. A patient may be severely impaired in solving problems and also their social judgment. Due to these symptoms these patients should not be left alone.

4. Late stage

In this stage, patients need assistance with most or all their personal care. A patient needs 24 hour supervision in this stage to ensure their personal safety. These patients are not aware of common dangers so they need full assistance. Commonly, they even do not recognize the familiar faces. This is the most severe type of dementia.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of this disease is quite difficult due to many diseases and conditions that cause it. However, a doctor makes a diagnosis of this disease on the basis of personal medical history, review of current symptoms and laboratory tests, imaging tests such as CT scan (Computed tomography), MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) and PET scan (Positron emission test).

Also the patient undergoes mental function tests such as memory tests,language skills, reasoning and judgment evaluation, problem- solving tasks, and other thinking skill tests

Ayurvedic herbs for dementia

In Ayurveda, we have wonderful nerve tonic herbs for the treatment of dementia. The herbs provide nourishment to the neurons and brain cells. They enhance or boost up the memory power and also rejuvenates the health of the brain cells. These herbs increase the coordination between brain neurons thus these properties help in improving short and long term memory. Some wonderful nervine tonic herbs are

1. Brahmi: Its botanical name is Bacopa monnieri. Its Raspanchak (Ayurvedic medicinal Properties) is as follows:

2. Ashwagandha: Its botanical name is Withania somnifera. Its Raspanchak (Ayurvedic medicinal Properties) is as follows:

3. Jatamansi: Its botanical name is Nardostachys jatamansi. Its Raspanchak (Ayurvedic medicinal Properties) is as follows:

4. Vacha: Its botanical name is Acorus calamus. Its Raspanchak (Ayurvedic medicinal Properties) is as follows:

5. Gotukola: Its botanical name is Centella asiatica. Its Raspanchak (Ayurvedic medicinal Properties) is as follows:

6. Jyotishmati: Its botanical name is Celastrus paniculatus. Its Raspanchak (Ayurvedic medicinal Properties) is as follows:

Herbal remedies for the treatment of dementia

We have a wonderful herbal manufacturing company that provides various herbal products for the treatment of various health ailments. Planet Ayurveda is the company that manufactures its own herbal products. These products are made with adherence to ancient ayurveda. All the herbal products are made from natural herbs with ancient time tested formulas and also form in the standardized extracts of potent herbs. Their herbal products include herbal capsules, herbal tablets, herbal powders, herbal teas, herbal oils, herbal juices etc. The herbal products that are offered by this company for dementia are:

Ashwagandha capsules
Brahmi capsules
Stress support
Calm easy
Gotu Kola capsules
Shankhpushpi capsules
Saraswatarishta

Products description

1. Ashwagandha capsules

This is a single herbal formulation. This is an effective stress relief herbal supplement. It is useful in neurological conditions. These capsules are made from the standardized extracts of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). This herb effectively acts as a nerve tonic. It enhances physical as well as mental stamina. This is a natural rejuvenator that helps in maintaining the health of the brain cells. This is a wonderful herb in the Ayurveda medical system.