Open Labelled Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Guda-haritaki with Guduchi Kashayam in the Management of Vatarakta with Special Reference to Gouty Arthritis

Abstract Context: Ayurveda is a science of life and had a golden time some centuries back. The sedentary life style of today’s era has increased the risk of certain disorders like diabetes, hypertension and joint pathologies. The disorders affecting the locomotory system are increasingly seen in the present time. Among such disorders Ayurveda classics have described a debilitating disease called Vatarakta. Vatarakta is one of the painful joint disorders, which can be defined as an inflammatory joint disease affecting mainly the joints of Kara, Pada, Anguli and Sarvasandhi. Vatarakta is also known as Adhyavata, probably due to its higher prevalence among rich people as they are mostly accustomed to sedentary lifestyle, rapid modernization with respect to food habits, addiction to alcohol and smoking and biological clock disturbances. It has two stages i.e Uttana and Gambhira. The classical signs and symptoms of Vatarakta resemble the clinical features of Gouty Arthritis, hence Vatarakta can be correlated with gouty arthritis due to a number of similarities. The aetiological factors responsible for Gouty Arthritis are quite similar with Vatarakta. The prevalence increases with age and usually affects males, and is the most common cause of inflammatory Arthritis in men over the age of 40 years. The present study will be carried out with following objectives: