Title : Development, pharmaceutical analysis and invitro evaluation of modified herbal fumigation formulations
Abstract:
Ayurveda is science of the life. Maintenance of the health of healthy individuals and Treatment of the diseased are the main principles of Ayurveda management. Acharya Sushruta, The Father of Surgery, explained different types of surgeries and documented procedures in a sophisticated manner. He also explained Different types of instruments, dressing techniques and other perioperative procedures. He clearly emphasized the importance of asepsis in his words Rakshakarma. He enlisted various drugs for it. Rakshakarma includes various karma (procedures) and dhoopan is an important procedure among them. In the modern era, sterilization and disinfection are the main weapons to deal with the different microbes present in the environment. The incidence of nosocomial infections increasing day by day, thus keeping the environment and surfaces microbe-free is imperative. An operation theatre is the heart of any surgical hospital and hence its sterilization is of utmost importance. Along with the operation theatre complex, fumigation of in-patient and out-patient wards is also necessary. In Ayurveda, Vranitaagar Dhoopan i.e. herbal fumigation of wards is explained by the scholars. Different Ayurvedic herbal, mineral and animal-origin drugs are explained by the experts for Dhoopan. To evaluate the efficacy of Vranitaagar Dhoopan, many researchers are taking efforts and few studies are already completed with promising results. Formaldehyde is the most widely used chemical for OT complex fumigation but due to its carcinogenic, irritable properties, many safer chemicals are emerging. Still, these new chemicals are not widely accepted by the healthcare units in developing countries due to their high cost. Formalin is not preferred for routine fumigation of wards. This article gives the gist of attempts made by the authors to modify the herbal fumigation formulations to make ward fumigation effective and safe.
