Labyrinthitis - Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment

Labyrinthitis - Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment

Labyrinthitis is an inflammatory disorder of the inner ear or labyrinth. Common symptoms include giddiness, hearing loss, a buzzing sound in the ear, discharge from the ear and nausea or vomiting. Bacteria or viruses can cause acute inflammation of the labyrinth in conjunction with either local infection or a generalized infection.

The Ayurvedic treatment of labyrinthitis is aimed at treating the basic pathology of the disease, controlling the symptoms and preventing the recurrence of this condition. In order to treat symptoms like giddiness and nausea or vomiting, medicines like Laxmi-Vilas-Ras, Shrung-Bhasma, Laghu-Sutshekhar-Ras, Vishwa (Zinziber officinalis), Kapurkachari (Hedychium spicatium), Lavang (Caryophyllus aromaticus), Dalchini (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Pippali (Piper longum), Haridra (Curcuma longa) and Arjun (Terminalia arjuna) are used. In order to treat the after-effects of bacterial or viral infections, medicines like Triphala-Guggulu, Arogya-Vardhini, Sukshma-Triphala, Gandhak-Rasayan and Mahamanjishthadi-Qadha are used.

In order to treat inflammation in the labyrinth, medicines like Panch-Tikta-Ghrut-Guggulu, Saarivasav, Chandanasav, Chandrakala-Ras, Saarivadi-Vati, Punarnavadi-Guggulu, Gokshuradi-Guggulu and Punarnavadi-Qadha are used. Herbal medicines which can be used in this condition are: Punarnava (Boerhaavia diffusa), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Gokshur (Tribulus terrestris), Yashtimadhuk (Glycerrhiza glabra), Saariva (Hemidesmus indicus), Haridra (Curcuma longa), Daruharidra (Berberis aristata), Apamarga (Achyranthus aspera), Sahinjan (Moringa pterygosperma) and Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia). Medicines like Kaishor-Guggulu, Tapyadi-Loh, Ekang-Veer-Ras, Maha-Vat-Vidhwans-Ras and Vat-Gajankush-Ras are used in order to prevent or reduce hearing loss.

With adequate treatment, most patients of labyrinthitis recover within a few days to a few weeks. It is important for such patients to refrain from driving or operating heavy machinery till they recover completely from this condition. Labyrinthitis may also be caused by potentially life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, cerebro- vascular ischemia or brain stem tumor. These conditions should therefore be carefully ruled out while treating labyrinthitis.