A RANDOMISED, OPEN-LABEL, CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDY TO EVALUATETHE EFFECT OF PATOLADI VIKESHIKA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DUSHTAVRANA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VENOUS ULCERS.

Background- Venous ulcers, or stasis ulcers, account for 70- 80% of chronic lower extremity ulcerations. The lesion is usually superficial, the floor contains beefy red granulation tissue, and there is moderate to severe dis-charge. So adequate drainage/ absorption and maintenance of proper moisture is necessary to avoid white and fragile margins leading to delayed healing. Paraffin-impregnated gauze is often used as a contact layer dressing in superficial wounds and ulcers. There is a need for drugs that have Vrana Shodhaka, Vrana Ropaka, Rakta Shodhaka, Kushtaghna, Kandughna, and Krimighna properties. Patoladi Gana possesses these properties. Ob-jectives - To address the limitations of traditional topical application methods in Ayurveda, as they often involve messy application, fail to provide a proper contact layer, and lack standardization in drug dosage, resulting in wastage. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Patoladi Gana drugs, in the form of Vikeshika, administered uniformly in a single dose, for managing venous ulcers. Methodology: Patoladi Vikeshika was prepared, ana-lyzed, and standardized. A randomized controlled clinical study was conducted over 41 subjects diagnosed with venous ulcers. Twenty subjects in the control group were dressed with Paraffin gauze, and 21 subjects in the trial group were dressed with Patoladi Vikeshika once daily for 28 days. Subjects were evaluated using a combination of subjective and objective measures. Subjective parameters included pain, burning sensation, and itching, while objective assessments were conducted using the Bates-Jensen wound assessment tool, which comprises 13 crite-ria. To analyse the data, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the Friedman test were employed. Results - The comprehensive precis of all the results reveals that both interventions produced signifi-cant results, but the trial group delivered a better outcome over the control group. Discussion - Patoladi Vike-shika, with its broad-spectrum activity and holistic approach to dealing with this disease, was adequately suita-ble for managing venous ulcers. Hence, it could be a better alternative for Paraffin gauze in the management of venous ulcers.