Effectiveness of Ashwathi chooranam and yoga therapy in the management of Obesity: A Case study

Abstract

Obesity is a growing global health concern associated with various metabolic and lifestyle disorders. Traditional systems of medicine such as Siddha emphasize holistic approaches for the management of obesity through herbal formulations and lifestyle modifications. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of Ashwathi Chooranam combined with yoga therapy in the management of obesity through a single-patient case report. A 42-year-old female patient reported to the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Arignar Anna Government Hospital of Indian Medicine with complaints of progressive weight gain, fatigue, breathlessness on exertion, poor digestion and stress for several years. Clinical assessment revealed an elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) of 34.9 kg/m² and Waist–Hip Ratio (WHR) of 0.89, indicating obesity with central fat distribution.  The patient was treated with Ashwathi Chooranam (Verukadi ~1 g) administered orally twice daily with honey as an adjuvant for a duration of 48 days, along with a structured yoga therapy protocol. The yoga regimen included 4 minutes of warm-up exercises followed by Bhujangasanam, Vrikshasanam, Trikonasanam, Pavanamuktasanam, and Savasanam (3 minutes each), and Bhramari Pranayamam and Nadi Suddhi Pranayamam ( 4 minutes each)  practiced for a total duration of 30 minutes daily. Anthropometric parameters were recorded before and after treatment. At the end of therapy, body weight reduced from 93.7 kg to 88.2 kg, BMI from 34.9 kg/m² to 32.8 kg/m² and WHR from 0.89 to 0.87. The patient also reported improvement in fatigue, digestion and breathlessness. The above findings suggest that Siddha medicine combined with yoga therapy will be beneficial in the management of obesity.