All about Hypothyroidism (Part 9): Treatment of Hypothyroidism with Ayurveda
Updated: Feb 17
Although the thyroid gland is not directly mentioned in Ayurveda, the physiological and biochemical actions of thyroid hormone can be likened to the description of Agni, specifically Dhatvagni (the agni maintaining body metabolism).
There’s also an illness called Galaganda, which Charaka describes as a singular swelling in the neck among 20 sorts of Kaphaja disorders.
Galaganda, according to Susrutha, is an encapsulated swelling in the anterior angle of the neck that can be linked to a goitre or tumour, with or without thyroid dysfunction.
In Ayurvedic perspective, the pathophysiology of hypothyroidism can be understood as where the dhatvagni (which is paramount for a healthy metabolic function) is severely affected.
And this informs us about the necessity of a treatment wherein, by the correction and regulation of dhatvagni wholesome normal thyroid gland activity can be obtained.
The goal of treatment should be to go to the base of the problem by settling the immune system and reducing inflammation.
The primary concepts of treatment are as below.
Srotoshodhana (cleaning of macro and microchannels)
Agnideepana (stimulating digestion and metabolism)
Pachana (digestion of ama/toxins)
Vatanulomana (appropriate excretory system regulation)
Trayambaka Churna of Shreshtha Herbals has been formulated to achieve all these actions and hence is a very effective Ayurvedic medicine for Hypothyroidism.
Although modern medicines are effective at lowering TSH levels, they do have certain side effects.
In many situations, despite the fact that TSH levels are kept under control with L-Thyroxine (the most common treatment in Allopathy- available in brand names like Thyronorm, Eltroxin etc) symptoms such as fatigue, hair loss, dryness, irregular menstruation, and infertility persist and negatively impact patients’ quality of life.
People with Hypothyroidism may find Ayurveda to be a panacea. In recent times, Ayurvedic herbs and medications have proved to be a holistic approach in the treatment of Hypothyroidism.
Some of the Ayurvedic herbs found useful in the treatment of Hypothyroidism are
Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri),
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera),
Kalonji (Nigella sativa),
Haridra (Curcuma longa),
Varuna (Crataeva nurvula),
Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa).
Among the compound Ayurvedic formulations, the following are used in the Ayurvedic treatment of Hypothyroidism.
Kanchanara guggulu
Varanadi kashayam
Triphaladya kashayam
Punarnavadi kashayam
What is the tratement offered at Shreshtha Ayurveda Center for Hypothyroidism?
Trayambaka churnam/ capsules is one such unique product for hypothyroidism which is backed by 15 years of clinical work by Shreshtha Herbals.
Trayambaka Churnam/ Capsules is an Ayurvedic Thyroid support system for patients with Hypothyroidism.
This is an Anubhutha yoga used by Dr.Parameswaran Kaimal, a highly respected and well known Vaidyan from Kerala and later passed down the generations to Shreshtha Herbals.
The doctors at Shreshtha Herbals have further worked on the formulation to make it more effective and have refined the formulation to get exemplary results in Hypothyroidism.
Trayambaka Churnam/Capsules is a result of 15 years of clinical observation studies by Shreshtha Herbals. It is a unique product which works both on the hormones (TSH, T3, T4 levels) and the symptoms.
After refining the product for several years, the finalised formulation has been studied in several hundred patients and the documentation was started in 2015. As on date, the study and documentation is ongoing.
How is Trayambaka Churnam prepared?
Trayambaka Churnam is prepared without any preservatives, colours or fillers. It is a pure herbal medicine. It is available in fine powder form.
The documentation of this study was started in 2015 at Shreshtha Ayurvedic Center in Bangalore.
The data was collected and collated with the help of a EMR software called Medicra provided by Rashmika Info Technologies, Bangalore. Every patient was assigned a PID (Patient Identification Number)
Inclusion criteria (already diagnosed cases of hypothyroidism) with 5 or more symptoms in the below list between the age group of 7 – 70 years
These symptoms of Hypothyroidism were included in the Inclusion criteria.
High TSH –Blood test showing TSH higher than 5.5 IU
Weight gain/ Unable to lose weight
Hair loss
Fatigue
Body pain & muscle cramps
Puffiness of face
Irregular menstrual cycles
Depression and anxiety
Memory problems
Loss of appetite and digestion problems
Dry skin
Cold intolerance
Infertility
Several patients whose TSH values were within the normal range, but whose symptoms were affecting the quality of life were also included. Patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis were also included.
Exclusion criteria
Patients with cardiac complications
Pregnant and lactating women
Children below 7 years
Period of the clinical observation study- June 2015 to Dec 2016
Dosage given: 3 grams to 5 grams twice daily with water 15-30 minutes before food.
Pathya suggested:
Avoid: Excess intake of sugar, salt, deep fried food, spicy food, cheese, egg yolk, cakes, fried meat, soft drinks, soya products, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, peaches, pears and strawberries.
Recommended to drink plenty of water (40 ml per kg body weight)
Assessment of the clinical observation data were made as per the below markers.
Complete relief: TSH levels normalised and 100% of symptomatic relief.
Marked relief: TSH levels normalised and up to 80-100% of symptomatic relief.
Significant relief: TSH levels reduced and up to 60-80% symptomatic relief.
Mild relief: TSH levels reduced and below 60% of symptomatic relief.
No relief: no change in the TSH levels and no symptomatic relief.
Table showing the result of overall treatment for first batch of 30 patients.
The results showed that patients who were suffering from secondary complications of hypothyroidism like high BP, PCOS and infertility also found marked relief in their symptoms.
