Ayurvedic approach in the management of Pulmonary Tuberculosis w.s.r. to Rajayakshma - A Case Report

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affecting the lungs. It is transmitted through airborne droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. A 55-year-old female patient with chief complaints cough with yellowish expectoration, fever with chills, weight loss, generalized weakness, and breathlessness on exertion along with chest pain for 3 months visited the TB chest OPD of Kayachiktsa. She was diagnosed with Pulmonary tuberculosis by allopath hospital. After the initiation of anti-Koch’s treatment (AKT) (Rifampicin300 + Isoniazid150 + Pyrazinamide800 + Ethambutol550) for 20 days, she was suffering from burning in abdomen, vomiting after every meal, loss of appetite, joint pain and severe weakness. The patient was not taking medicine properly and wanted Ayurveda as an alternate or adjuvant management for her sufferings. Ayurvedic treatment along with the ongoing medications that comprised Vishama Jwaraghana Vati in the dosage of 1g thrice a day, Sitopaladi Churna, 3g thrice a day with honey for 1 month, and after that Drakshavaleha in the dose of 10 grams twice a day with lukewarm milk after breakfast and dinner for the duration of next 5 months along with Pathya-Apathya was provided. The patient was monitored for clinical outcomes, sputum conversion, complete blood count, reduction in ESR, nutritional status, symptom improvement, and quality of life by WHO-BREF scale. Follow-up was taken for eight months. Significant improvements were observed after three months in terms of the clinical outcomes, including sputum conversion (BT:2+, AT: Negative, 6 month sputum culture-negative), complete blood count (BT: Hb-10.5, RBC-4.16, WBC-14500, Platelet count-469000, AT: Hb-11.9, RBC-4.36, WBC-11730, Platelet count-329000), reduction in ESR (BT:96, AT:27), improvement in nutritional status, early symptom improvement, and quality of life by WHO-BREF scale. This suggests that integrating Ayurvedic approaches with standard PTB therapy may improve treatment outcomes, enhance adherence to medication, support nutritional recovery, and improve patients’ overall quality of life.