Ayurveda and Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is described as ‘kampavata’ and its symptoms as karapada tale kampa (tremors in hands and legs), dehabhramana (postural instability), matiksheena (dementia) and nidabhanga (insomnia) in few ayurvedic texts and classified under vatavyadhi (neurological disorders). In the chapter, the antiparkinsonic effect of certain important ayurvedhic plants such as Argyreia nervosa, Asparagus racemosus, Bacopa monnieri, Ginko biloba, Centella asiatica, Hyoscyamus niger, Mucuna pruriens, Picrorhiza kurroa, Sida cordifolia, Terminalia chebula, Valerian wallichii and Withania somnifera were reviewed. Neuroprotective effect of Ayurvedic plants against PD are contributed mainly due to the presence of various chemical components that have diverse pharmacological properties. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism of action of Ayurvedic plants by studying the role of these potent phytochemicals against various models of PD.