Abstract

RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE CLINICAL STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF BOTH ARKA TAILA AND ARKA MALAHAR EXTERNAL APPLICATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VICHARCHIKA: A STUDY PROTOCOL

*Dr. Bhagawan S. Gopalghare, Dr. Sachin Rohani and Vd. Joshi Vinayak N.

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Abstract

Introduction: Ayurveda has identified Vicharchika as a skin condition similar to dry eczema. Various treatments are available in Ayurveda for Vicharchika, one of which is the Ayurvedic oil 'Arka Taila'. Previous studies have examined the local application of Arka Taila, and an ointment called Arka Malahar has also been developed in another study. This particular study suggests that Arka Malahara is convenient for use and equally effective in treating Vicharchika. However, there is a lack of research comparing the effectiveness of Arka Taila and Arka Malahara in treating Vicharchika. Method: This study will involve 60 randomly selected subjects with Vicharchika from DY Patil's Ayurvedic hospital in Pimpari, Pune. The participants will be divided into two groups: one group will receive Arka Taila applied locally to the eczema site, while the other group will receive Arka Malahar in a similar manner. The treatment duration will be 30 days. Results: Changes in the eczema condition before and after treatment will be observed and compared to the baseline. Subjective symptoms such as itching (Kandu) and dryness (Rukshata) will be assessed as mild, moderate, or severe. The number and size of patches will be measured using scores, and moisture levels will be compared between summer and winter. Descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation for numerical variables, and range for categorical variables, will be presented. A Student's T test will be used to determine statistical significance, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered significant. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that Arka Malahar is more effective than Arka Taila in managing Vicharchika across all assessment parameters.

Keywords: Arka Malahar, Arka Taila, Eczema, Vicharchika.