Shoola Prashamana Gana – Review, Benefits, Disadvantages

By Dr MS Krishnamurthy MD(Ayu), PhD.
Pain is the cardinal feature of Vata dosha. Depending upon the site they are denoted like Udara shoola, Pada shoola, Sandhi shoola, Shira shoola, Karna shoola and so on. Whenever mere Shoola is referred it means the Udarashoola or Abdominal colic. 

As the pain is due to vata dosha the drugs referred here must have vata pacifying qualities.
The shoola prashamana drugs referred here potent analgesics, anti spasmodic and digestive and carminative medicaments.

Shoola Prashamana Gana

Let us review the quality and action of these drugs one by one in brief-

1. Pippali – Long pepper– Piper longum – Fruit
Carminative, digestive, anti spasmodic, analgesic, rejuvinating, appetizer, liver stimulant etc.

2. Pippali moola – Long pepper – Piper longum – Root
Anti spasmodic, digestive, carminative, stimulant etc.

3. Chavya (Piper chaba Hunter) – Roots or Stem
Analgesic, antipyretic, liver stimulant, wormicide etc.

4. Chitraka – Leadwort – Plumbago zeylanica – Roots
Anti helmenthic, stimulant, appetizer, abortificient etc.

5. Shringavera – Ginger – Zingiber officinale – Rhizome
Stimulant, anti pyretic, analgesic, digestive, anti flatulent etc.

6. Maricha – Black pepper fruit – Piper nigrum – Seeds
Digestive, carminative, anti spasmodic, appetizer, adaptogenic, wormicide etc.

7. Ajamoda – Ajowan (fruit) – Trachyspermum roxburghianum – Seeds
Anti flatulent, analgesic, stimulant, appetizer, digestive, carminative etc.

8. Ajagandha (Gynandropsis gynandra Briquet.) – Whole plant
Anti pyretic, liver stimulant, bitter tonic, anti flatulent etc.

9. Ajaji (Cuminum cyminum Linn. ) -Seeds
Analgesic, anti inflammatory, stimulant, wormicide etc.

10. Gandira (Euphorbia antiquorum Linn.)-Stem or Roots
Anti microbial, purgative, stimulant, alakizer, rubificient etc.

Qualities,Therapeutic uses

Qualities in general and actions of Shoolaprashamana gana drugs:
The drugs referred here are hot in potency and they pacify Vata dosha. They are pungent followed with astringent in taste and undergo pungent kind of metabolic change (Katu vipaka). Most of the drugs are hot in potency.

These act as carminative, digestive, anti spasmodic etc.

Therapeutic uses of Shoolaprashamana gana drugs:
The formulations derived out of these drugs are beneficial in indigestion, abdominal distension, gaseous tumors, abdominal colic etc.

Ayurvedic medicines

Formulations containing Shoolaprashamana drugs :
Pippalyasava, Chavikasava, Chitrakadi vati, Pippalyadi taila, Pippalyadi ghrita, Ajajyadi choorna, Trikati choorna, Panchakolasava, Ksheerashatpala ghrita etc are the few important formulations derived out of these drugs.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages of Shoolaprashamanagana drugs:
As most of the drugs referred under this heading are hot in nature and few may cause warmth in the body. So they should be prescribed with caution in pregnant, children and in old aged people; also in Pitta prakriti individuals.

Simple formulations

Simple formulations that can be made from the above drugs and their application in routine practice:
Fine powder of Ajaji, Shunthi, Pippali etc are made into fine powder and administered along with ghee or warm water. This will act as a good digestive and carminative and hence the colic pain is relied soon. Instead their hot infusion or distillates (Arka) can also be prepared.

Formulation development opportunities

There are good opportunities to prepare as well as modify the formulations derived from the above said drugs. As the digestives-carminatives-anti flatulants and anti spasmodic are the daily needs few of the selective ingredients from this group can be developed into syrups, distillates and dispersing tablets.
Click to consult Dr MS Krishnamurthy MD(Ayu), PhD