A review on kala-azar and management with Ayurveda herbs

Leishmaniasis is a neglected public health problem that largely affects the impoverished people of developing nations. It is caused by protozoan species that are members of the genus Leishmania. The causative organism is dispersed by female sandflies. Visceral, mucocutaneous, and cutaneous symptoms are the most prevalent clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis. Miltefosine, amphotericin B, and pentavalent antimonials are only a few of the drugs that are used to treat this significant infectious condition. Apart from that, these medications have very bad side effects in humans, and the exorbitant price of liposomal amphotericin B prevents them from being used in low-income nations. Moreover, certain parasite species have developed medication resistance. The scarcity of drugs and the side effects of currently used drugs, it is necessary to find novel medications with leishmanicidal activity. Although, the term "kala-azar" is not used in Ayurveda; it describes three diseases, visamajvara (a type of fever), plihodara/pliharoga (splenomegaly), and raktaja krimi (microorganism in blood), which are similar to Indian kala-azar and appear to be appropriately correlated based on their etiology, prognosis, symptomatology, and treatment. Kala-azar can be effectively treated with ayurvedic herbs like Guduci (Tinospora cordifolia), Katuki (Picrorhiza kurroa), Daruharidra (Berberis aristata), Kumari (Aloe barbadensis), and Earanda (Ricinus communis), etc. An emphasis on medicinal herbs used to treat leishmaniasis is particularly apparent in this review. New antileishmanial drugs can be discovered and produced using the bioactive phytochemicals found in plants.