Dysentery

Ayurvedic Name: Raktatisar, Pravahika

Alternative Name: Bloody Flux

What is a dysentery ?

Dysentery is an infection of the intestine (gut) caused by an amoeba called Entamoeba histolytica. Dysentary is caused by ingestion of food containing this amoeba, causing a disease in which inflammation of the intestines affect the body significantly. It is associated with colicky pain in the abdomen, and liquid or semi-solid stools mixed with mucus and blood. If you have dysentery for long periods of time, it may very distressing and you may feel very weak and tired.

Dysentery is a condition characterised by inflammation of the bowels. The inflammation results in severe stomach pains. Dysentery also involves severe diarrhea that is often associated with bood in the feces. Diarrhea can be fatal too if the body dehydrates completely.

Dysentery is a disease involving the inflammation of the lining of the large intestines. The inflammation causes stomach pains and diarrhoea. Some cases involve vomiting and fever. The bacteria enters the body through the mouth in food or water, and also by human feaces and contact with infected people. The diarrhoea causes people suffering from dysentery to lose important salts and fluids from the body. This can be fatal if the body dehydrates.

What are the symptoms of dysentery ?

Symptoms of dysentery include inflammation of the intestine characterized by the frequent passage of feces, usually with blood and mucus.

There ar two types of dysentery.

1) Bacterial Dysentery - Shigellosis , which is caused by one of several type of Shigella bacteria - In this the stool comes mixed with blood.

2) Amoebic Dysentery - In this mucus may present in the stools, along with the organism.

Some of the main symptoms of dysentery are listed below:

The main symptom of dysentery is a bloody diarrhea.

Abdominal Cramps.
Fever.
Rectal pain.
Restricted bowel movements.
Frequent watery motions.
Loss of appetite.
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Stomach pains.

What are the causes of dysentery?

The two most common causes of dysentery are infection with bacteria of the Shigella group, and infection by an ameba called Entamoeba histolytica. They are primarily diseases of the tropics, but may occur in any climate.
Some other causes of dysentery are:
Digestive bacterial infection.
Digestive viral infection.
Scurvy.
Bowel ulceration.

How is dysentery Spread?

Amoebic dysentery is passed on by carelessness of people and negligible hygiene. The Entamoeba histolytica amoeba and the shigella bacteria often thrive in food and water contaminated by human feces. As these parasites live in the large intestine, they travel in the feces of infected people, and a number of times bacillary dysentery has occurred as the feces contaminate the water supplies where sanitation is poor, or where sewage mixes with drinking water.

What are the treatment of dysentery ?

The person suffering from bloody diarrhea (dysentery) needs immediate medical help. Treatment often starts with an oral rehydrating solution - water mixed with salt and carbohydrates, drinking this solution will help you in preventing dehydration (which may be fatal if it occurs).

Some Herbal Remedies for treatment of dysentery are:

Piyushvalli Ras - You may take one-two tablets of Piyushvalli Ras with roasted bael fruit and jaggery, two times daily.

Kadukkai Thole - Take two grams of powdered kadukkai thole (Rind of the Terminalia Chebula) with honey.

Kutajaghana Vati - One or two tablets of Kutajaghana Vati, when taken 2-3 times daily with water, is useful in treatment of dysentery.

Bael Fruit - Bael Fruit is also very good for dysentery. It is used when nothing works, the most useful and effective remedy which has been tried by many and proved successful too.

Sheng Jiang and Brown Sugar - Preparations made from sheng jiang and brown sugar are useful in treating dysentery.

Dried Mango Fruit - One teaspoonful of dried mango fruit when taken with butter milk two times a day acts as a good curative for dysentery.

Pudin Hara - Add a few drops of Pudin Hara or Amritdhara (mint essence or peppermint) to half a cup of water and drink it 3-4 times daily.

Aloe Vera & Rosehip - Aloe Vera and Rosehip are also good for tissue repairing after dysentery.

Rasaparpati - 150 gms of Rasaparpati may also be given to the person suffering from dysentery, three times daily.

Pomegranate Seeds and Rasins - Make a paste of - dry pomegranate seeds (Anardana), Raisin (Kishmis) and a small amount of salt. This is a very effective herbal remedy for curing dysentery and has prooved to be successfully many a times.
A tea of star grass leaves is also good for dysentery.

Mangoosthan Fuit - One Mangoosthan (Mangostain) fruit can be taken twice a day as a good remedy for dysentery.

Garlic - Garlic is also useful as a herbal remedy for curing dysentery. One garlic capsule taken three times daily is usually sufficient for curing mild cases of dysentery. However, upto 4 capsules can be taken daily in some severe cases.

Vetpalai Seeds - Take One teaspoon full of powder of Vetpalai seeds (Wrightiatinctoria) with honey two times a day.

Some other good herbs for dysentery may include - Bach Flowers, Impatiens, Chestnut Bud and Crab Apple. These herbs will most probably recover your from this parasite attack when taken daily for 6 weeks.

Some Home Remedies for Curing Dysentery Fast

In case of dysentery, some of the home remedies are:

Lemon Juice - Lemon juice is good for treating ordinary type of dysentery. A few lemons, peeled and sliced were added to 250 ml of water and the mixture was boiled for a few minutes. Now after that the mixture can be drunk atleast 3 times daily.

Mint and Ginger Juice - You can also drink a mixture of 1 tsp mint juice, 1/2 tsp ginger juice, and 1 tsp honey.

Onion - Small pieces of onions mixed with curd can be given to the suffering person upto six
times daily.

Basil Leaves - Take 5-6 basil (tulsi) leaves (chopped), 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, some black pepper in 3 table spoon of curd, and mix them properly. Now eat this mixture atleast 4 times daily for one week.

Nut Grass - Take some tubercles of nut grass and then powder them properly and mix in them fresh ginger juice and honey. This mixture can be taken in parts of 20 gm, three times in a day.

Papaya - Grate one raw papaya. Add 3 cups of water into it and boil it for near about 10 mins. Now strain the mixture and finish the water in one day.