A review on clinical and experimental studies on ayurveda and leukemia

Blood cancers such as leukemia are a public health crisis globally. 2018 cancer statistics reveal 437,033 new cases with leukemia accounting for 2.6% of all cancers, worldwide. Conventional medical science manages the disease quite effectively by targeting the signaling pathways causing leukemogenesis, but with serious side effects as it also damages healthy cells. In this context, a systematic review was carried out to understand the role of Ayurvedic interventions for the management of Rakta arbuda in context to leukemia. Articles were searched using the keywords “only Raktarbuda or leukemia” and “Ayurveda” and “management” or “case report” or “case series” or “in vivo” or “in vitro” “research or review” or “leukemia and Ayurveda” and their different combinations and permutations. Articles from 2000 to 2018, published in only English language, and related to the topic were screened for their contents, and finally, 88 articles were included in this review, which was studies exclusively focused on leukemia done using an Ayurvedic intervention in the form of case reports or case series, in vivo, in vitro studies, or review article. Some case reports were found which documented the beneficial effect of Ayurvedic interventions in the management of leukemias. Scientific researches documented that drugs such as Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi), Curcuma longa (Haridra), Zingiber officinale (Adrak), Berberis aristata (Daruharidra), and Moringa oleifera (Sahijan) are efficient inducers of apoptosis. Cell line studies have demonstrated the efficacy of Andrographolide and methanolic extracts of Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh), Semecarpus anacardium (Bhallataka), and Curculigo orchioides (Kali musli) against leukemia cell lines.