Purification of Guggul in Ayurveda & Best Guggul for Specific Diseases

Abstract

Ayurveda is a sea of knowledge and there is a lot to achieve. Ayurveda is full of glory and a science that not only deals with health problems but also teaches human kind to achieve salvation. There are a number of herbs, minerals, and poisonous substances that are used in the ayurvedic formulations with a number of prior processes to make them usable as medicines. Guggul is a resin of Commiphora mukul (tree of myrrh). It has a number of health benefits, and this property has made its use in a number of ayurvedic products. In this article, we shall have a look in depth about Guggul and its purification and its benefits for a particular disease. Let’s get started !!

Introduction

Guggul: This Sanskrit noun indicates disease-protecting action. Guggul is tridosha shamak (pacifies all three doshas) and known for a number of health benefits such as digestion enhancer, brihan (strengthening), vrishya (fertility boosting), varnya (skin enhancer), balya (energy booster), ayurvadhak (life enhancer) and smritimedha vardhak (memory enhancer). After regular consumption of guggul for one year, one is protected from inanimate poison, animate poison, old age-related paralysis and alopecia. Guggul is vaya sthapak (anti-aging) , furthermore it increases intelligence, vision, strength, semen and vitality. Therefore, the demand for Guggul is quite exponential. However, it is required that it is purified before consumption.

Properties of Guggulu

• Rasa (tastes) : Katu (Pungent), Tikta (Bitter)
• Guna (qualities) : Laghu (light), Vishada (brings clearance), Rooksha (dry), Sara (brings movement), Sookshma (minute). (Newly resin in sticky and oily)
• Vipaka (taste after digestion) : Katu (pungent)
• Veerya (Potency) : Ushna (hot)

Why is purification necessary?

As a result of the increased demand for Guggulu and Guggulu containing medicines for treatment, it is essential to ensure their purity, safety and effectiveness before using them. Guggulu is obtained as an oily gum-resin from a hole made in the bark of a tree called Commiphora wightii [syn. Commiphora mukul, Balsamodendron mukul]. During storage, there is a high possibility of contamination by dust, sand, other parts of the tree, twigs, etc. Foreign materials are more likely to cause contamination. Impure guggul is more pungent, hot and rough. After consuming impure guggul, skin rashes, diarrhoea, diarrhoea, irregular menstruation, headache, etc. may occur. Therefore, to ensure the purity, safety and therapeutic effectiveness of guggul, purification of guggul is a must.

Importance of Purification

Shodhan (Purification)

Shodhana is the process of purification of medicinal substances. In this process, impure medicinal substances are treated with other specific medicinal substances to reduce impurities and toxicity.  In Ayurveda texts, various purification processes like mardan (grinding), kshalan (rinsing), swedan (heating/fomentation), etc. are described. The main purposes of the purification process are removal of physical and chemical impurities, detoxification, to enhance the biological properties of the refining substances in medicines, to increase potency and to convert hard substances into soft and subtle substances to facilitate the medicine-manufacturing process.

According to Ayurveda texts, guggulu is purified by sweden (fomentation/sweating) in a dola yantra, in a container made of clay, gold, crystal or silver for one yam (3 hours). In this purification process, the impure guggulu is tied in a cloth bundle and immersed in liquids like cow urine, Triphala decoction, Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) decoction, milk or Dashamul decoction, as per the disease, and then it is steamed.

Various guggul kalpas (Medicines made with Guggulu as an ingredient) are being used in the management of osteoarthritic disorders, metabolic disorders and skin diseases. The guggul included in these guggul kalpas is subjected to general and special purification. According to the general purification method, impure guggul is steamed with water taken in equal quantities. When the entire guggul is dissolved and a brown solid solution is formed, this solution is filtered through a sieve. This molten solution is cooked on low flame with continuous stirring till all the water residue evaporates. In this way, normal purified guggul is obtained (Bhaishajya Samhita, Shodhana Prakaran, page no. 128).

As per prescribed use, cow urine, Amrita (Guduchi) Kwatha, Triphala Kwatha or Dashmool Kwatha are used for special purification of Guggulu. According to the special purification method, for the preparation of Kwatha, the powdered ingredients of Kwatha (equal to guggulu) are boiled in water (eight times the quantity). When this water is half left, this decoction is used for special purification by soaking it in a cloth. A bundle of normally purified guggul is completely immersed in the decoction and steamed on low flame. As a result of this, guggul is again liquefied, rubbed through the cloth of the bundle and mixed with the decoction. This mixture is again cooked on low flame and some cow ghee is mixed in it. In this way, special purified guggul is obtained in solid form. Residual impurities present in the cloth bag are removed. This special purified guggul is again crushed with cow ghee and used in guggul preparations.

A special purification method is beneficial for introducing the properties of special purification liquid (cow urine, cow milk, medicinal substances like Guduchi, Triphala, etc.) in normal purified Guggulu and for improving the qualities of Guggulu. As a result, the effectiveness of the kalpas containing specially purified guggulu is definitely increased. For example, Amrita is the best medicine for gout, hence Amrita specially purified guggulu containing Kaishore guggulu is more effective in gout.

A study conducted to qualitatively evaluate a special preparation of guggulu (Commiphora mukul) has documented some properties of a specially prepared guggulu. According to this study, there was a decrease in physico-chemical parameters such as loss on drying, ash content and acid insoluble ash content of guggulu after special refining as compared to normal refining and an increase in alcohol soluble extractive and an increase in the amount of ethyl acetate soluble extractive was observed. According to HPTC (High-performance thin-layer chromatography) analysis, after purification process, the amount of ethyl acetate present in guggul constituents like guggulsterone E and guggulsterone Z (active phytoconstituents of guggul) did not show any significant changes.

Triphala specially purified guggulu showed peaks of ellagic acid and gallic acid (phytoconstituents of Triphala). Besides, peaks of tinosporoside (phytoconstituent of Guduchi) and diosgenin (phytoconstituent of Dashamul) were observed in Guduchi special purified guggulu and Dashamul special purified guggulu respectively, this confirms the presence of the special purification substance in the specially purified guggul. From the above phytochemical profiling of the purification process, it is indicated that general purification is helpful in removing the impurities from impure guggulu and special purification removes the impurities from guggulu and enhances its medicinal properties.

Guggulu and Guggula kalpas, researched by Vaidyas, have been used for a long time in the Ayurveda management of metabolic disorders like aama vata, skin diseases, obesity, etc. It is documented that long-term use of modern medicines like NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in disorders like arthritis can result in enteropathy (damage to the mucous membrane of the small intestine).

A preclinical study was conducted to evaluate the effects on intestinal mucosal and enteropathy-causing potential of Triphala special shodhit guggulu (TVSG), cow urine special shodhit guggulu (GVSG) and a marketed Triphala special shodhit guggulu preparation (MF) in comparison to diclofenac in Wistar rats. Study results indicated that compared to diclofenac, Triphala special purified guggul, cow urine special purified guggul and marketed guggul-containing formulations showed less damage to the small intestine’s mucous membrane and protection of the mucus barrier after administration. This resulted in a reduced risk of enteropathy. Hence, Guggul Kalpa is a preferred option in the long-term management of chronic disorders due to its authenticity, standardization, safety and efficacy.

Conclusion

Ayurveda stands as one of the profound contributions of the ancient Indian sages to humanity. Recognized as one of the world’s oldest structured medical traditions, it is revered as a sacred and exceptional healing science by scholars well-versed in the Vedic knowledge system. The therapeutic insights related to medicinal plants and Ayurvedic formulations found in classical texts stem from meticulous clinical experiences accumulated over generations. Extensive documentation of these properties and their health benefits is found in age-old texts such as the Vedas, Samhitas, and Puranas. Later works, known as Nighantus, further enriched this tradition with vast botanical and pharmacological knowledge. The true efficacy of herbal remedies, as described in these classical texts, can be well seen through this article based on Guggulu and Guggulu kalpa. We have discussed Guggulu in detail, its purification, specialised purification and its medicinal use according to the ingredients and disease. So, Guggulu being an important pharmaceutical substance in Ayurveda holds a superior position in the ayurvedic medicinal group of medicines.