Patel, Manish & Gupta, Shivenarain & Michalsen, Andreas & Stapelfeldt, Elmar & Kessler, Christian. (2015). A Complex Multiherbal Regimen Based on Ayurveda Medicine for the Management of Hepatic Cirrhosis Complicated by Ascites: Nonrandomized, Uncontrolled, Single Group, Open-Label Observational Clinical Study. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM. 2015. 613182.
Liver cirrhosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, especially when complicated by ascites. This chronic disease can be associated with the classical disease entity Jalodara in Traditional Indian Medicine (Ayurveda). The present paper aims to evaluate the overall potential of Ayurvedic therapy for overall clinical outcomes in cirrhosis of the liver complicated by ascites (HCcA). In the form of a single-group, non-randomized, uncontrolled, open-label, observational clinical trial, 56 patients who met standardized diagnostic criteria for HCcA were followed during their treatment at P. D. Patel Ayurveda Hospital, Nadiad, India. Based on Ayurvedic tradition, a standardized treatment protocol was developed and implemented consisting of oral administration of single and compound herbal preparations in combination with cleansing measures and dietary and lifestyle regimens. Outcomes were assessed by measuring liver function using specific clinical features and laboratory parameters, and by evaluating the prognostic Child-Pugh grade score. After 6 weeks of treatment and a follow-up period of 18 weeks, the results showed statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements. Further larger and randomized studies on the efficacy, safety and quality of the Ayurvedic approach in the treatment of HCcA are warranted to substantiate these preliminary results.
