Sumod Khedekar et al / Int. J. Res. Ayurveda Pharm. 7(Suppl 2), Mar - Apr 2016 98 Review Article www.ijrap.net AYURVEDA DHOOPANA (MEDICATED SMOKE) CHIKITSA IN PRESENT SCENARIO: A REVIEW Sumod Khedekar 1 , Sumeet Goel 1 , Nisha Kumari Ojha 2 1 MD Scholar, P.G Department of Kaumarbhritya (Pediatrics Ayu.), National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India 2 Lecturer, P.G Department of Kaumarbhritya (Pediatrics Ayu.), National Institute of Ayurveda Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Received on: 01/09/15 Revised on: 11/01/16 Accepted on: 09/02/16 *Corresponding author E-mail: vaidya.sumod@gmail.com DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.07265 ABSTRACT Environment we are leaving in is laden with billions of microorganisms. Maximum of them lives in commensalism with human, and are not harmful, or are opportunistic which may prove hazardous in immune-compromised hosts and children. They may prove harmful in open wounds, Operation theatre settings, in neonatal wards or labor room. Thus proper disinfection and sterilization is always a major concern especially in hospital settings and neonatal wards. The bacterial flora are dynamic in nature, differ from place to place and also change over time, which have made modern disinfectant procedure a cumbersome process with emerging resistance. Ayurveda have provided an elaborated explanation of many herbal drugs which may prove to be safe, effective and lucrative in present settings. In the present study nine such drugs which are explained in Ayurveda classical text Kashyapa samhita for Dhoopana (fumigation) namely Nimba, Guggul, Sarshapa, Ela, Haridra, Bhallatak, Jatamansi, Nirgundi and Tulasi have been studied for their effectiveness as anti-bacterial and disinfectant properties. All drugs have been found to be effective and safe to be used especially in neonatal wards. Further study is needed on large scale for practical implementation of these herbs as primary drug for disinfection of neonatal wards and as preventive aspect in areas with epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases. Keywords: Anti-bacterial; Ayurveda; Dhoopana; Disinfectant; Fumigation INTRODUCTION The environment around us is laden with billions of micro- organisms. These micro-organisms almost contribute nearly 37% of our house hold dusts. Maximum of them lives in commensalism with human, and are not harmful, or are opportunistic which may prove hazardous in immune- compromised hosts and children who are having. Other may lodges some potential harmful bacteria also, like gram positive cocci Staphylococcus aureus living in nostrils of 30% population 1 . Such micro-organism may prove dangerous in open wounds, in operation theatre settings, in neonatal wards or labor room, where host defense is not that much to protect against these pathogens and they may enter and cause disease in the hosts. Thus proper disinfestation is a major aspect to be dealt properly in such settings 2 . The bacterial flora is dynamic in nature, differ from place to place and also change over time, which have made modern disinfectant procedure a cumbersome process with emerging resistance. The importance of Ayurveda in global scenario is because of its holistic approach towards positive life style. It deals with both the preventive and curative aspects of diseases. Ayurveda mentions the treatment modalities as topical (bahi-parimarjana), systemic (anta-parimarjana) or by surgical intervention (sastra- pranidhaana). Fumigation (dhoopana) categorized under topical (bahi-parimarjana) treatment, has been told as a treatment in all the classics of Ayurveda but detail description is available only in Kashyap samhita in a chapter named ‘Dhoopakalpa’. Fumigation (medicated smoke) creates an aseptic environment, kills microbes and thus, prevents infection. This article is foot step in the efforts to established probable mode of action of Dhoopana to improve the health of children from various diseases and preventing the need for medical intervention, by studying pharmacological properties of various Ayurveda drugs which are mentioned for dhoopana Chikitsa. Aim of Study: This review aims at scanning the scattered literature on the antibacterial and disinfectant properties of the drugs mentioned for Dhoopana (fumigation) in Kashyap Samhita and to provide their scientific evidences. Classical texts of Ayurveda as well as PUBMED, MEDLINE database were used for the search of relevant literature and research papers. Papers published between Jan 1960 to Jan 2015 were only considered. The key words used for the search was ‘Ayurveda’, ‘Antibacterial ’ ‘Fumigation’ and ‘Disinfectant’ etc. In-vitro analysis, experimental trials as well as clinical studies were included in the review to search out the reported therapeutic potential of Ayurveda drugs. Only research articles published in English language were considered. Nimba (Azadiracta indica) Its active constituents possess insecticidal and insect repellent activity, like 22, 23-dihydronimocinol extracted from leaves, and azadirachtin extracted from seeds 3 . A. indica fumes against Streptococcus pyogenes after 10-minute exposure showed 100% inhibition and 50% inhibition after 5-minute exposure, it also showed inhibition of S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and P. aeruginosa under same setting 4 . Azadirachta indica is effective against head lice in topical use 5-6 . Fumigation of volatile oils of Azadiracta indica have potent insect repellant property 7-8 . An olfactometer study carried out with the volatile oils of leaf of A. indica have shown 73% repellant activity at a dose of 80 mg 9 .