A critical review of an ethnomedicinal combination used in Sutika paricharya (Puerperal care)

Abstract

Ayurveda is a comprehensive health-care system which addresses various physiological and pathological episodes
in human life. The puerperal period is a physiological episode occurring in women after childbirth and expulsion
of the placenta. During pregnancy and labor, the female body undergoes tremendous exertion and gets debilitated
physically and mentally. Hence, proper remedial measures are needed to revert the females to the pre-pregnant
stage. Apart from the guidelines in classical scriptures, various folklore practices prevail in various geographical
regions across the country. This facilitates the usage of locally available flora and reduces the cost of treatment to a
huge extent. Here, data were collected from the elderly women population and AYUSH practitioners in the southern
most districts of Kerala, and the available information is critically evaluated. It is found that a combination of
eight herbal drugs is in the form of a special delicacy called “kurukku”. Upon critical evaluation, it reveals that the
combination is Tridoshahara, Amhara, Srushta mutra, Rakta vardhana, and doshahara, and Jwara-Krimi-Sopha-
Vrana-Visha naashana. Exploration and analysis of these folklore practices will validate and assure the scientific
background. This will prevent the extinction of traditional knowledge and provide a new arena for research.