Abstract

CONCEPTUAL STUDY OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IN AYURVEDA

Megha A. C.*, Shailesh Y., Shrilatha Kamath T. and Punith P.

.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, a broad term encompassing memory loss and other cognitive impairments significant enough to disrupt daily functioning. AD is recognized as a multifactorial disease, with two primary hypotheses proposed to explain its etiology: the cholinergic hypothesis and the amyloid hypothesis. In Ayurveda, aging is associated with a depletion of bodily tissues (dhatu), sense organs (indriyas), and strength (bala). This, along with the dominance of the vata dosha, leads to old age (jara avastha). Aggravated vata dosha, compounded by the influence of rajas and tamas (manasika doshas) can disrupt mental activities (manasika chesta), potentially causing memory impairment (smritibhramsha). Thus, the state of smritibhramsha can be likened to Alzheimer’s disease due to similar pathophysiology and clinical features. This article endeavors to compile and interpret scattered references of smritibhramsha in classical Ayurvedic texts within gradual the context of Alzheimer’s disease.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Smruthibhramsha, Jaravastha, etc.