Blog - Anaemia-Ayurvedic Natural Herbal Treatment

A lot of interesting facts about the human body make us wonder about the precision with which it is created. The kind of dynamics involved in its working is again a magic in itself. One such component of the body which sustains nourishes and protects us, all at the same time, is ‘blood’. Blood contains many varieties of cells which have their own stipulated functions, one such type of cell being, red blood cells. 

These amazing cells contain a protein called as hemoglobin, which have this huge responsibility of providing oxygen to the tissues of a human body. So, it’s obvious for us to imagine what would be the consequences of having less or damaged red blood cells in our blood stream. This condition is nothing but anaemia. Anaemia can be of various types depending on causes which are underlying. For example, anaemia due to blood loss, due to less and/or faulty production of cells or there may be anaemia due to destruction of red blood cells.

Whatever be the reason, it is quiet important to act on the condition very quickly to ensure that every cell of our body is nourished aptly. So, apart from treating the cause, the understanding of anaemia in Ayurveda stands strong and has been successfully adapted for the treatment of this condition. Let us have a quick peep on the same.

Understanding anaemia through the lens of Ayurveda-
Ayurveda describes this condition under the broad heading of a disease called ‘pandu’. The term is given because of its primary manifestation in the form of pallor or pale appearance of the body. It is a disease where ‘pitta’ plays a major role among the three doshas. There are various types of manifestations told as per the dominant dosha involved. But generally we see few symptoms and signs like, 

• A feeling of weakness,
• Loss of appetite,
• Giddiness,
• Palpitation,
• Dry skin,
• Swelling under the eyes/puffiness of eyes,
• Headache and the list goes on. 

So, let’s see what Ayurveda wisdom says about combating this health concern.

Swear by herbal formulations told in Ayurveda for Anaemia-  
A general detoxification procedure in the form of Panchakarma would be essential, especially if the condition is very long-standing. This is to ensure that the medicines which are to be given for anaemia is very efficiently digested, absorbed and assimilated into the body. After making your system ready for the intake of medicines, there are a range of formulations which are completely herbal and safe but very effective in managing the problem. As it is popularly known, in Ayurveda, medicines are always customized as per the patient’s requirement and body type. Hence, there would be a wide range of remedies mentioned in classical texts of Ayurveda for every condition. Some well-known ones would be, 

• Drakshadi lehya – This is a complete herbal formulation which contains drugs like raisins, sugar-candy, Piper longum, Honey, ginger, Indian gooseberries etc. Almost all the ingredients being elixir and strengthening.
• Dadimadi ghrita – This too is a completely herbal formulation, with base of clarified butter (ghee). It contains, pomegranate, coriander, ginger, as main ingredients. 
• Punarnava mandura – It possesses, Boerhaavia Diffusa as the main ingredient with other herbs like, ginger, turmeric, Indian gooseberry, Black pepper, long pepper and many more. In addition it also contains purified and processed Ferric oxide i.e. mandura bhasma which is a good medium to treat anaemias. 
• Navayasa lauha – It is one herbo-mineral formulation which is very effective in treating conditions related to low blood count. Some very potent herbs in combination with Iron calx is administered.

Some diet inclusions and exclusions in Anaemia–
Improving our hemoglobin needs a little time. It is not a one day affair, if you aren’t taking intravenous transfusions and supplements. It requires a full-fledged lifestyle change. Some home based remedies which can be followed with the treatment you are undergoing with the health care professionals are, 

• Vitamin C helps in better absorption of iron supplements taken. Hence it is a good idea to have ingredients rich with this vitamin in your diet every day. 
• Having sufficient pomegranate in your diet helps improve hemoglobin in a long run.
• Coriander leaves are a good source of Iron. Infact, having around 20-30 ml of coriander leaf juice early in the morning helps improve iron too.
• Calcium is found to inhibit or reduce the absorption of iron as per few studies. Hence, it is advised to take calcium and iron rich food separately.
• Including, Sesame, Jaggery, Dates, Raisins etc in your every day food is a good idea with regard to improving hemoglobin.
• Using cast iron vessels for routine cooking is the best bet with regard to treating anaemia. 
• Of course, last but not the least, keep calm, stay happy, meditate, perform breathing exercises each day and notice the difference by yourself.

Take home message– 

• Don’t take Anaemia very lightly. It may harm you in the long run when symptoms increase. Please take a consultation with Ayurveda vaidyas for better health. 
• Also, Anaemias are of various varieties. Not all anaemias’ have the same kind of treatment. So, never self medicate without consultation. Some genetic, inherited conditions like thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia etc need well planned treatments.
• It’s important to treat the cause of Iron deficiency at the onset. Concentrate on this priority. If your blood loss is due to peptic ulcers, hemorrhoids, excess menstrual bleeding or any other long standing causes please get the cause treated at first.
• Let’s not forget that, nature has a solution imbibed in it for every health problem of ours. So, it’s important to have our faith in natural, scientific and well planned solutions as per wisdom of Ayurveda.