Ayurvedic Medicines for SmallPox - Causes, Symptoms

What is a small-pox ?

Smallpox is a very serious infection which is caused by a virus named variola, which is a member of the poxvirus family. Smallpox has been a greatly feared disease because it was responsible for huge epidemics. Smallpox gets its name from the pus-filled blisters that form during the illness. Smallpox is not related to chicken pox, which is a milder disease and is caused by a different virus.

In past, smallpox has affected people all over the world, and disease used to be very serious. But now the condition has improved a lot since now there exist many good vaccines for the treatment of smallpox, so now there is not much threat for smallpox.

Smallpox is of two forms, as given below:

1) Variola Major - Variola Major is a highly contagious viral disease, which is generally characterized by fever and weakness and skin eruption with pustules that form scabs that slough off leaving scars. It has a mortality rate of 30% or more.

2) Variola Minor - Variola Minor is a mild form of smallpox caused by a less virulent form of the virus. It has a mortality rate of less than 1%.

What are the symptoms of small-pox ?

The virus usually entered the body through the respiratory (breathing) tract. The incubation period (the period of showing symptoms after development of infection) for smallpox ranges from approximately 7 to 17 days. During this time, the virus was multiplying within the body and moving through the bloodstream.

Some of common symptoms of smallpox are:

• Very High fever.
• Fatigue.
• Severe headache and Backache.
• Malaise.
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Excessive bleeding.
• Flu-like symptoms.
• Muscle and joint pain.
• Skin eruptions.
• Chickenpox-like skin rashes.

In some rare (around 5 to 10 percent) cases of smallpox, more rapidly progressive, malignant disease develops, which is almost always fatal within 5 to 7 days.

What are the causes of small-pox ?

The main cause of smallpox is caused by variola virus of genus orthopoxvirus. Variola virus period is about 12 days. A characteristic rash is most prominent on the face, arms, and legs, follows in 2-3 days. The rash starts with flat red lesions. Lesions become pus-filled and begin to crust early in the second week.

How is SmallPox Spread?

Smallpox is a highly contagious and infectious disease and it spreads very easily from one person to other. It mainly spreads through the infected droplets coming from infected person's saliva when the person coughs, or sneezes. It can even spread when the person talks. Smallpox can also be spread from the fluid in the blisters of an infected person's skin or from blankets, towels, or clothes that have touched the infected person, but this is less common.

What are the Treatment of small-pox ?

Since small pox is caused by a virus, generally there is no treatment available. But a vaccine is must to have as it will help you prevent from developing the disease. The earliest forms of vaccination was inoculation, which entailed taking fluid from the lesions of an infected person and injected the fluid into an uninfected person. This method proved to be effective too, as when the innoculated people suffered from smallpox their symptoms were very mild as compared to an uninnoculated person developing smallpox.

Ayurvedic Medicine I

Ingredients:

• Neem Bark.
• Pitta Papra.
• Parh.
• Parval Leaves.
• Kutki.
• Bark of Aroosa.
• Amla.
• Yavasa.
• Khas.
• Red Sandalwood.
• White Sandalwood.

Directions:

Prepare a decoction after mixing all the above ingredients. Now, the patient may take this decoction with raw sugar, 2 to 3 times a day.

Ayurvedic Medicine II

Ingredients:

• Awarnamakhshik Bhasma.
• Kanchnar Bark.

Directions:

50 to 100 mg of Swarnamakhshik Bhasma given with decoction of Kanchnar bark.