
Analgesic Effects of Dashamula, an
Ayurvedic Preparation, versus Diclofenac
Sodium in Animal Models
547-550
Correspondence
Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad
Mahatma Gandhi Medical College
Sitapura, Jaipur-302022.
Phone: +91-9460983755
E-mail: marumush@gmail.com
Background and Objectives:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are drugs which are most commonly used to control pain. But the adverse effects that they produce are the limitations in their use. Many medicinal preparations are commonly used for the treatment of pain in alternative medicine. One such commonly used Ayurvedic preparation is Dashamula, a combination of the roots of ten plants, a standard Ayurvedic remedy for the treatment of pain. However, studies which have evaluated its role as an analgesic in comparison with NSAIDs are not available.
Materials and Methods:
Healthy albino mice of either sex, which weighed 30–50 g, were used for the anti-nociceptive test: the writhing test. The animals (n=24) were allocated to four groups (GI, GII, GIII and GIV) of six mice each, which received either saline as a control or a low dose of Dashamula or a high dose of Dashamula or Diclofenac sodium. The statistical analysis was done by using the Student’s ‘t’-test. A probability value of less than 0.05 (P< 0.05) was considered to be statistically significant.
Results:
A highly significant (p<0.001) reduction in the number of writhes was noted in the groups which were treated with high dose Dashamula and Diclofenac sodium and there was a significant (p<0.01) difference in the number of writhes in the group which was treated with low dose Dashamula as compared to that in the controls. Although the degree of analgesia was greater in the group which was treated with high dose Dashamula as compared to the group which was treated with Diclofenac sodium, the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The analgesic action of high dose Dashamula and Diclofenac sodium started within 30 min, with a complete abolition of the writhes from 90 min onwards. The time course of action in the group which was treated with high dose Dashamula was quicker and faster than in the Diclofenac sodium group, however, this difference was statistically insignificant (p>0.05).
Conclusions:
The analgesic activity of Dashamula, both in terms of the degree of analgesia and the time course of action was comparable to that of Diclofenac sodium, a standard NSAID. Hence, Dashamula could be a possible alternative to NSAIDs. Further studies, experimental and clinical, are needed to explore this possibility.