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Health Remedies - Leprosy |
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Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It is also known as Hansen's disease. Leprosy results in damage primarily to the peripheral nerves (the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord), skin, testes, eyes, and mucous membrane of the nose. Leprosy presents most often during two different periods of life, between the ages of 10 and 14 and in those aged 35-44 years old, and it affects people of all races all around the world. The M. leprae is a very slow growing bacteria. Hence the symptoms appear 5 to 7 years after infection. The symptoms may include hypopigmented (lighter than normal skin color) skin lesions; decreased sensation to touch, heat, or pain; numbness or absent sensation in the hands and arms or feet and legs; and muscle weakness resulting in signs such as foot drop. The skin lesions may remain without healing after several weeks to months. People with long-term leprosy may lose the use of their hands or feet due to repeated injury resulting from lack of sensation. Leprosy is curable but if untreated can lead to severe deformities. |
Useful
herbs |
Abutilon indicum |
In fevers, chest affections, gonorrhoea and urethritis (infusion of leaves and roots); used as an eyewash and as a mouthwash in toothache, tender gums, in gonorrhoea and for the inflammation of the bladder (leaf decoction); ; to boils and ulcers (flowers); used in piles and coughs (seed decoction); used in relieving strangury, haematuria and leprosy (root infusion). |
Acacia catechu |
Leprosy (root decoction. leaf. bark and fruit); in skin diseases and ulcers, chronic diarrhea, bleeding of the uterus and nose, mucosal discharges (such as leucorrhea) and hoarseness, gonorrhea (flowers), rheumatism and tooth ache (root), asthma, bronchitis, chest pain, sore in mouth (plant). |
Aconitum ferox |
Rheumatism, neuralgia, leprosy, fever and chest discomfort. In India in the treatment of leprosy, fevers, cholera and rheumatism (Chopra et al., 1986) |
Alectra parasitica |
Leprosy |
Alisma plantago-aquatica |
Helps to treat renal calculus, cystitis, dysentery and epilepsy (dried leaves); for hydrophobia, to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, oliguria, oedema, nephritis, acute diarrhoea and fatty liver (roots); for leprosy, to bruises and swellings (fresh leaves); to promote conception (whole plant). |
Azadirachta indica |
To treat skin diseases, rheumatism, stomach worms, gastric ulcers, urinary discharges, tumours, piles, toothache, arthritis, leprosy and sprains; used in Ayurveda practice to relieve cough, asthma, piles, tumours and urinary discharges. |
Centella asiatica |
For healing wounds (plant extract); in tuberculosis and leprosy (plant decoction); improves intellectual capacity, concentration and memory of children, in skin diseases, asthma, bronchitis, gastric problems, leucorrhea, catarrh, as an antidote in cholera; on boils and tumours (plant paste); to cure severe headache, to prevent and cure urinary tract infections and the growth of kidney stones (leaf juice). |
Diospyros malabarica |
To treat diarrhea, dysentery and fever, and as an antidote for snake poisoning (fruits); in blood diseases, gonorrhea and leprosy (ripe fruits); as a vaginal injection in gonorrhea (extract of the fruit); used to heal sores and wounds (juice of fruits); as a good application to boils and tumors (bark); useful in bilious fever (juice of bark); in diarrhea (seeds) |
Emblica officinalis |
To treat fever, lack of appetite, piles, worms, anaemia, jaundice, intrinsic haemorrhage, hoarseness of voice, hiccough, cough, fainting, heart diseases, vomiting, burning sensation, abdominal pain, gastritis, dyspepsia, obesity, leprosy, rheumatism, erysipelas, chicken-pox, greying of hair, hair loss, diabetes, suppression of urine, leucorrhoea, burning sensation in female genitals, amenorrhea, eye diseases, for promoting intellect and to improve memory, as rejuvenative, and aphrodisiac (promotes spermatogenesis and in premature ejaculation) (fruit and seed). Local systems of medicine employ it for fever, indigestion, bronchitis, asthma, constipation, headache, liver complaint, diabetes, dysentery, ophthalmic disorders, nerve tonic, cholera, diarrhoea, nasal haemorrhage, cystitis, oedema and leucorrhoea.It has expectorant, antioxidant, anticancerous properties. |
Juglans nigra |
In the treatment of skin diseases, scrofulous diseases, herpes, eczema etc; diarrhoea and also to stop the production of milk, to allay the pain of toothache, headache (bark); for ringworm, colic and applied as a poultice to inflammations (husk); in the treatment of gangrene, leprosy, and wounds (oil from ripe seeds) |
Manilkara hexandra |
As a tonic and in fevers (bark); Also used in jaundice, flatulence, dyspepsia, burning sensations, helminthiasis, constipation, catarrh, bronchitis, leprosy and dipsia (plant). |
Onosma bracteatum |
For reducing fever and alleviating spasms. A decoction is used in the treatment of rheumatism, syphilis and leprosy. The plant is considered to be useful in relieving excessive thirst and restlessness in febrile excitement, and also to be useful in relieving functional palpitation of the heart, irritation of the bladder and stomach, and strangury. |
Pongamia pinnata |
As a tonic (seed) and in hemorrhoids (stem bark); chronic fevers, rheumatism, lumbago, herpes, scabies, leucoderma and other skin diseases, flatulence, dyspepsia, diarrhoea, cough, leprosy and gonorrhoea (plant); on the head to heal ulcers and cure dandruff (leaf paste); used for cleaning sores, as well as for cleaning teeth and strengthening gums (root juice). |
Psoralea corylifolia |
Skin diseases, vitiligo, poisoning, for conception, caries, deafness, filaria, wound, as rejuvinative, febrile diseases, premature ejaculation, impotence, lower back pains, frequent urination, incontinence, bed wetting etc. It is also used externally to treat various skin ailments including leprosy, leucoderma and hair loss. |
Pterospermum acerifolium |
As a tonic, as a cure for blood troubles, inflammation, ulcers, tumours and leprosy (flower); stops hemorrhaging from wounds (leaf); glandular swellings (especially in the ears and neck) (plaster from calyx); in smallpox (bark). |
Sesbania grandiflora |
For bruises, catarrh, dysentery, sore eyes, fevers, headaches, smallpox, sores, sorethroat, and stomatitis (plant); used in treating smallpox and other eruptive fevers (bark); to treat headache, head congestion, or stuffy nose (flower juice); poulticed onto bruises, for epilepsy, gout, itch, leprosy, nyctalopia, and ophthalmia (leaves); on rheumatic swellings, for inflammation (root powder);for anemia, bronchitis, fever, pain, thirst, and tumors (fruits); for biliousness, bronchitis, gout, nyctalopia, ozoena, and quartan fever (flowers). |
Strophanthus sarmentosus |
Used to treat anxiety, atherosclerosis, arthrosis, constipation, diarrhea, fracture, high Blood Pressure, leprosy, rheumatism, scabies, poisonous bites and sores. |
Strychnos nux-vomica |
For epilepsy and dysentery (stem bark); as a nervine tonic, in paralysis (due to lead poisoning), neuralgia, chorea, debility, impotence, spermatorrhea, rectal prolapses, blindness, heartburn, incontinence (urinary), rashes (from syphilis and leprosy); to treat fever, lack of digestive power, in atonic dyspepsia (seed powder). |
Symplocos crataegoides |
In the treatment of menorrhagia, eye diseases, bowel complaints, dysentery, inflammations, vaginal discharges, leprosy and ulcers, as a gargle for giving firmness to spongy and bleeding gums; to sprains and muscular swellings (bark juice). |
Tinospora cordifolia |
To treat fever (irregular and chronic), jaundice, thrist, vomiting, arthritis, skin diseases, cough, as rejuvenative for purifying breast-milk, eye diseases,secondary syphilis, rheumatism, constipation, tuberculosis, and leprosy. It is a blood purifier and may be useful in AIDS and other immune diseases also. It is also being proposed for cancer patients before and after chemotherapy. |
Toona ciliata |
As a tonic, astringent and in dysentery, ulcers, leprosy, fevers, itching, headache, biliousness (bark) |
Xylia xylocarpa |
For vomiting, swellings, gonorrhoea, diarrhoea and ulcers (bark powder); in rheumatism, leprosy, piles, and ulcers (seed oil) |
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