A REVIEW ON PALITYA AND DHATRYADI RASAYANA

Abstract

Hair is a valuable anatomical structure of the body, having cosmetological and sociological importance in drafting the beauty and personality of an individual. Greying of hair represents the sign of ageing known as Palitya in Ayurveda. But when hair starts greying before the usual age of onset, known as premature greying of hair. Premature hair greying is called Akalaja Palitya, which occurs due to various factors resulting in the vitiation of Pitta dosha. Due to mankind’s hectic, sedentary and busy schedule, the current scenario is witnessing several challenges, and premature greying of hair is one among them. Premature hair greying has multifactorial aetiology, including oxidative stress, nutritional deficiency, smoking, and dysfunctional thyroid hormones, but the exact aetiology is still unknown. Acharyas have mentioned various rasayana for preventing and treating premature hair greying, i.e., Akalaja Palitya. Rasayana therapy aims primarily to promote the strength and vitality of the body. It also helps maintain the integrity of sapta dhatus (fundamental structural component) by improving digestive power resulting in the sound production of successive dhatus and their malas. Dhatryadi rasayana is a polyherbal formulation consisting of three ingredients, i.e., Dhatri (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), Bhringraj (Eclipta alba Hassk.) and Tila (Sesamum indicum Linn.). All three plants have the keshya property. Emblica officinalis Gaertn. and Sesamum indicum Linn. both act as a 5α-reductase inhibitor. Eclipta alba Hassk. stimulates the proliferation of follicular keratinocytes by downregulating the TGF-β1 (Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1) expression. Furthermore, all ingredients of Dhatryadi rasayana have antioxidant properties and contribute to essential nutritional supplements required for proper hair development and growth.