Exploring Traditional Approaches to Tumor Management: Insights from Ayurveda and Sri Lankan Traditional Medicine

Abstract

For numerous decades, indigenous cultures worldwide have used traditional herbal medicine to treat a mass of diseases, including tumors. Among the specialties of traditional medicine, "Gedi-Vaṇa-Pilikā" (Oncology) is a specialization practiced for several generations. Since 1879, certain books have been written in Sri Lanka on traditional medicine which abundant in mineral, herbal medicines for tumor. Approaches based on traditional medicine systems are necessary to further explore tumor management to reduce the gap between modern understanding and traditional concepts. Therefore, a brief review of some of the significant features used in Ayurveda and traditional medicine was given to understand the principles behind tumor management. The data were gathered through traditional medical texts in Sri Lanka, authentic Ayurveda texts and scientific reviews. In Sri Lankan traditional medicine, "Pilikā, gadu, odu, gedi, vishādi, vaṇa are the main terms used to designate the tumor. Caraka and Suśruta Samhitā described inflammatory or non-inflammatory swelling and referred to these as either Granthi (minor neoplasm) or Arbuda (major neoplasm). Malignant tumors (raised from Tridosaja) are harmful because all these tumors in the body capable to damage the tissues resulting from death. Literary texts reveal the varieties of several tumors (Kandamālā, Kalal gadu, Gal ratha, Pokuru visādi, Sanni visappu, Atapalā gadu etc.) according to their site, etiology, and morphology.  In this review, the number of plants with tumor control properties has been reported and commonly used plants have been identified in traditional literature. Various types of dosage forms such as ointments, juice, decoction, paste are used for tumors. Novel research findings have proven that most of herbal remedies assist in the deduction of cytokines and activation of antigen-presenting cells in the tumor or leading to induce the apoptosis of the tumor cells.  As a conclusion these traditional medicine approaches should be further assed by scientific based researches protocols and more research is required to determine phytochemistry of the plants which describe in the texts with the aim of developing novel drugs to cure tumors.