Mouth Ulcers and Ayurvedic Treatment

MOUTH ULCERS AND AYURVEDIC TREATMENT

- Dr. Murali Manohar Chirumamilla, M.D. (Ayurveda)

Mouth ulcers are open sores in the mouth that appear as white or yellow sores surrounded by a bright red area. Usually painful, they appear on non-keratinised mouth tissue including the inner surface of the cheeks, lips, tongue, soft palate, and the base of the gums. They usually begin with a tingling or burning sensation followed by a red spot or bump that ulcerate.

Occasionally, a severe occurrence may be accompanied by non-specific symptoms of illness such as fever or malaise. Recurrence is common and may continue for years.

There are many possible reasons why you have these recurring ulcers:

You may be feeling run down or suffering from stress.

Mouth ulcers may run in your family.

Hormones also play some part—ulcers often appear at puberty or during menstruation, if you are a teenaged girl.

Your diet may be lacking greens or you may be an anaemic.

You may be brushing your teeth over-vigorously. Such brushing causes abrasions on the gums that can turn ulcerous.

You may be irritated by particular chemicals, spices, tobacco or even alcohol.

Rather more serious, the culprit may be the herpes simplex virus, which also causes cold sores. The first attack can be severe, with sore throat and ulcers inside the mouth. Subsequent attacks are less severe, with fewer and smaller ulcers.

In Ayurveda, the inflamed conditions of the mouth are described under Mukha paaka. Due to fallacious diet and deeds, pitta is vitiated which in turn aggravates the symptoms.

Guidelines & ayurvedic remedies

	For immediate relief from ulcers, you should avoid hot or spicy food, coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco. If the ulcers coincide with feeling run down, you should check if your diet is well balanced and possibly take more rest. Avoid sour things, including curd and pickles. Papaya and soorana kanda (jami-kand) in the form of food are very useful in this condition.
	Usually constipation is associated with oral ulcers and/ or stomatitis. If you notice such a situation, you should take mild laxative, which will give some relief. Triphala choorna is the proper laxative for this purpose. You can take a teaspoonful of the same at bedtime. If you don’t like its astringent taste, you can mix it with a cup of milk. Triphala choorna can also be taken in the form of decoction. To a cup of water, add a teaspoonful of this powder and boil till half. Filter it and drink.
	The decoction of the leaves of either aamla or heenna (mehandi), or the guava tree singly or mixed with alum powder is a very good gargle for oral ulcers.
	Alternately, you can gargle the decoction of the bark of milky trees (Ficus species) such as Ficus benegalensis (vat), Ficus religious (peepal), Ficus recemosa (goolar). Thespesia populenea (paaras peepal) etc. Also the decoction of the leaves of jasmine (chameli) is specifically indicated in oral ulcers.
	Fine powder of the Chebulic myrobalan (abhaya) macerated with honey is an excellent application that is very effective.
	If you want to try the compound formulation, then Khadiraadi vati is the drug of choice. This medicine is available in pill or tablet form. Keep it in mouth and slowly suck it as it dissolves in saliva. This medicine produces soothing effect on the ulcers and inflamed parts.
	Licorice (mulathi) is proved to be beneficial in the treatment of oral ulcers. Chew on a piece of it. It refreshes the mouth and cleanses the teeth, arresting tooth decay. It heals the sores in the mouth. When it is boiled in water, it releases a sweet taste, so you can drink a warm infusion or decoction similar to tea. A mulathi extract, hardened into different shapes, is even more effective. During recent studies, deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), a chemically altered form of the herb licorice, is proved to be effective in oral ulcers. DGL adheres to inflamed mucous membranes, which has made it a useful treatment for ulcers. This significantly and rapidly reduces symptoms. Pain levels noticeably decrease within minutes, and remain reduced for hours. According to anecdotal reports, frequent use of DGL throughout the day can almost entirely eliminate the discomfort caused by oral ulcers.
	Oral ulcers, with proper care, usually heal within three or four days. Other symptoms should disappear in 7 to 10 days.
	However, if they persist for more than two weeks or are accompanied by a skin condition or by other symptoms such as white patches in the mouth or throat, always get them diagnosed by the physician to rule out oral cancer or secondary bacterial or fungal infection.
	Local application of Irimedadi taila on the mouth ulcers gives early relief from pain & helps in healing of ulcers. Powdered camphor, when applied on ulcers, can also give relief.

Note

As we all are genetically different with different constitutions and patterns, we respond to treatments in many different ways. Hence Standard Ayurvedic Treatments are always individually formulated. This article is intended only for information. It is not a substitute to the standard medical diagnosis, personalized Ayurvedic treatment or qualified Ayurvedic physician. For specific treatment, always consult with a qualified Ayurvedic physician.

Address

Dr. Ch. Murali Manohar, M.D. (Ayurveda)

Ayurvedic Specialist

Raksha Ayurvedic Centre,

Opp. Directorate of Women Development,

Yousufguda Main Road (Sarathi Studio Road),

Ameerpet, Hyderabad - 500073.,

Andhra Pradesh, INDIA

Phones: Land: +91 (040) 23742146; Mobile: 09246575510

Consultation Hours (by phone appointment)

Weekdays: 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.

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E-mail: muralimanoharch@hotmail.com