Nutritional Status among Children Receiving Ashwagandhadi Churna with Milk in Residential Homes, Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Children of residential homes (RH) have a high rate of health problems including malnutrition. Ayurveda has several drugs to alleviate malnutrition, Ashwagandhadhi being one of the most commonly used drug. This study evaluated the changes in nutritional status of children in RH consuming Ashwagandhadhi churna (AC) for 1-3 years. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive record review study of children consuming AC regularly for 1-3 years of two RH of Tamilnadu during 2018-2019. The children of age 6-9 and 10-13 years received a dosage of 2 and 4g of AC respectively in milk once a day. Socio-demographic details, anthropometric measurements and clinical details were assessed. Data at three time points with an interval of three months were extracted and analysed using Friedman's tests. Important observations and Results: Out of 289 children, 173, who had complete details of three assessments, were included for analysis. Irrespective of the years of consumption of AC, at the first assessment, 61.6% were stunted or severely stunted; 71.2% underweight or severely underweight. Significant improvement in height-for-age and weight-for-age were observed in children consuming AC for 1 and 2 years. BMI did not show significant difference in 3 years of consumption. Males of 10 to 13 years having 1 and 2 years of consumption and females of both age groups having 2 years of consumption showed difference in BMI. Conclusion: Approximately three in ten children were malnourished in RH. Consumption of AC over a period of time improved the nutritional status of these children. Further large scale trials could prove the efficacy of AC in alleviating malnutrition.