Rakta Vidradhi – Abscess After Childbirth: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

By Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa, B.A.M.S

Rakta Vidradhi is one of the special diseases which occur after childbirth in the mother. It means blood abscess or abscess caused by vitiated blood.

Rakta = blood
Vidradhi = abscess
Read – Recurrent Abscess Ayurvedic Treatment Options

Table of Contents

Etiological factors, Symptoms

Causes
Due to excessive use of non-congenial / incompatible foods or harmful mode of living, rakta vidradhi occurs in a woman who had abortion or normal or abnormal labor.
Read – Bad Food Combinations And Solution As Per Ayurveda

Symptoms

Burning sensation
Fever
Makkalla Shula – sometimes in normally delivered woman, the blood which has not been excreted from the uterus will cause puerperal after-pains and subsequently produce blood abscess.
Vidradhi prapachana – this abscess if not relieved within a week gets suppurated i.e. pus is formed in the abscess. Suppuration occurs due to internal heat generated by pitta. Once suppuration occurs the abscess becomes incurable.

Vidradhi means abscess. It is of 6 types. They are –

Vataja Vidradhi – caused by vata vitiation
Pittaja Vidradhi – caused by vitiated pitta
Kaphaja Vidradhi – caused by vitiated kapha
Sannipataja Vidradhi – caused by vitiation of all three doshas
Raktaja Vidradhi – caused by vitiated blood
Abhighataja Vidradhi – caused by trauma

Master Sushruta has separately explained Rakta Vidradhi after explaining these 6 types of abscess. According to him antar vidradhi i.e. internal abscess develops from the tissue form of blood inside the body. This occurs in both sexes. But the abscess of un-excreted blood from the uterus after delivery or puerperal after-pains develops only in the women.

Master Bhoja opines that the abscess is not formed from the tissue form of blood. It develops only from the blood accumulated in the uterus after delivery or puerperal after-pains i.e. makkalla. This blood is not pure blood but is a form of menstrual blood.

Though this condition cannot be strictly compared with any modern disease, it can be considered to be acute infective / pyogenic condition of the uterus. The products of conception which are retained within the uterus after abortion or abnormal delivery might get infected. They may in due course of time produce inflammation and suppuration and thus produce abscess within the uterus. Sometimes even in normally delivered woman inflammation and suppuration can occur inside the uterus or pelvic cavity due to infection. The blood clots retained inside the uterus may facilitate growth of pyogenic bacteria. Seeing all these things rakta vidradhi seems to be a description of acute puerperal pyometra or pelvic abscess.
Read – After Delivery Care Of Mother For First Three Months By Ayurveda

Sanskrit Versus

Treatment

A. Principles of treatment

Vidradhi / abscess when in its unripe stage, i.e. when there is active inflammation, should be treated like sopha – swelling / inflammatory swelling.
Antar Vidradhi – the internal abscess which happens inside the body / organs should be treated on the lines of Gulma – abdominal tumors.
A wise physician should treat rakta-vidradhi on the lines of treating pittaja vidradhi – abscess caused by vitiated pitta. He shall treat the condition until it is completely cured.

B. External treatment

1. Lepa – Application – One or more of the below mentioned would work as effective applications –

Sugar + Parched paddy + Licorice + Sariva – Hemidesmus indicus – ground with milk and made into paste
Payasya – Ipomoea digitata + Ushira – Vetiveria zizanioides + Sandalwood – ground with milk and made into paste
Licorice + Amrta – Tinospora cordifolia + Sesame
Stem bark of Moringa oleifera

2. Parishechana – irrigation

Irrigation shall be done using one of the below mentioned formulations –

Cold decoction of the herbs mentioned above (application)
Milk
Sugarcane juice
Jivaniya Ghrta with sugar
Decoction of kshiri plants – latex yielding plants

3. Snehadi karma – Oleation etc

The below mentioned should always be used in the treatment –

Snehana – oleation
Upanaha – poultice
Anulomana – laxatives
Read – Snehana – Oils and Fats Treatment – Ashtanga Hrudayam Sutrasthana 16

4. Utpatana / Vidarana – incision

The abscess should be incised once there is suppuration in it. Following incision, irrigation of the abscess should be done using decoction of either latex yielding plants or aquatic plants (like lotus etc). Following this, it should be anointed with paste of sesame and licorice mixed with honey and ghee. Later it should be bandaged with thin cloth.

One or more of the below mentioned ghee should be used for healing the wounds properly –

a. Prapaundarikadi Ghrta – Ghee prepared using the paste of the below mentioned along with milk –

Prapaundarika – Nelumbo nucifera
Manjishta – Rubia cordifolia
Licorice
Ushira – Vetiveria zizanioides
Padmaka – Prunus cerasoides
Turmeric

b. Kshirashukladi Ghrta – Ghee prepared with –

Kshirashukla – Manilkara hexandra / Pueraria tuberosa / Ipomoea digitata
Prthakparni – Uraria picta
Samanga – Mimosa pudica / Rubia cordifolia
Lodhra – Symplocos racemosa
Chandana – Santalum album
Nyagrodhadi group of herbs (leaves or stem bark)
Read – Ghee Benefits, Usage, Side Effects, Contra Indications

c. Manjishtadi Ghrta – Ghee prepared with below mentioned herbs and milk –

Manjishta – Rubia cordifolia
Ushira – Vetiveria zizanioides
Padmaka – Prunus cerasoides
Payasya – Ipomoea digitata
Nisa – Curcuma longa
Darunisa – Berberis aristata
Sreshta – Aquilatia agallocha
Licorice

d. Nyagrodhadi gana siddha ghrta – Ghee prepared with tender leaves, stem bark and fruits of Nyagrodhadi group of herbs.

e. Karanjadhya Ghrta – ghee prepared using –

Naktamala – Pongamia pinnata (leaves and unripe fruits)
Leaves of Sumana, Patola – pointed gourd and Arista – neem
Haridra – Curcuma longa
Daruharidra – Berberis aristata
Madhuchista – wax
Madhuka – Glyzyrrhiza glabra
Tiktarohini – Picrorhiza kurroa
Priyangu – Callicarpa macrophylla
Kusha – roots of Desmostachya bipinnata
Nicula – bark of Barringtonia acutangula
Manjishta – Rubia cordifolia
Chandana – Santalum album
Ushira – Vetiveria zizanioides
Utpala – Nymphaea stellata
Sariva – Hemidesmus indicus
Trivrit – Operculina turpethum

1 karsha (12 grams approximate) each of the above herbs should be mixed with 1 prastha (768 grams approximate) ghee and cooked.

5. Upanaha – poultices

In the abscess developing within the abdomen, in which the suppuration has begun and the abscess is protruding out, poultice should be administered.

C. Internal Medicines

1. Trivrtadi Churna – Powder of Trivrt – Operculina turpethum and Haritaki – Terminalia chebula should be given mixed in honey for licking.

2. Varunadi Kwatham – Lukewarm decoction of Varunadi group of herbs should be mixed with Ushakadi group of herbs and given. It is very beneficial in cases of non-suppurated internal abscess.

3. Triphaladi Kashayam – Decoction prepared with the below mentioned ingredients should be served fresh –

Triphala – fruits of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellirica and Emblica officinalis
Pichumanda – neem
Madhuka – Glyzyrrhiza glabra
Katuka – Picrorhiza kurroa
Patola – Pointed gourd / Trichosanthes dioica
Trivrt – Operculina turpethum
Trayamana – Gentiana kurroo
Masura – Lens culinaris

The above said decoction taken mixed with ghee should be given to cure abscesses.

4. Trayantyadi Kwatha – decoction of the below mentioned herbs should be given mixed with ghee –

Trayanti – Gentiana kurroo
Triphala – fruits of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellirica and Emblica officinalis
Neem
Katuka – Picrorhiza kurroa
Madhuka – Glyzyrrhiza glabra
Patola – Trichosanthes dioica
Trivrit – Operculina turpethum
Masura – Lens culinaris

5. Drakshadi Ghrta – Ghee prepared with decoction of the below mentioned herbs mixed with milk, juice of sugarcane and Emblica officinalis and paste of Terminalia chebula –

Raisins
Madhuka – Glyzyrrhiza glabra
Dates
Abhiru – Asparagus racemosus
Vidari – Pueraria tuberosa
Parushaka – Grewia asiatica
Triphala – fruits of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellirica and Emblica officinalis

When this ghee gets cooled it should be mixed with honey and sugar.

6. Trayamanadi Ghrta – Ghee prepared with –

Decoction of Trayamana – Gentiana kurroo – 1 prastha (768 grams)

Paste of the below mentioned (each 1 pala – 48 grams) –

Musta – Cyperus rotundus
Katuka – Picrorhiza kurroa
Tamalaki – Phyllanthus niruri
Trayamana – Gentiana kurroo
Sandalwood
Duralabha – Fagonia cretica
Jivanti – Leptadenia reticulata
Vira – Ipomea mauritiana
Utpala – Nymphaea stellata

1 prastha each of –

Ghee
Milk
Juice of Amalaki – Emblica officinalis
Read – Amla Benefits, Dose, How To Use, Side Effects, Home Remedies

7. Ushakadi Ghrta – Ghee prepared with Ushakadi, Varunadi and Virechaniya group of herbs should be used daily in the morning time. This quickly cures abscesses.

8. Use of Guggulu – Commiphora mukul shall be used with ginger in abscess caused by kapha and with Cedrus deodara in vataja abscess. Only Guggulu can be used.

9. Use of Madhushigru – In non-suppurated abscess use of Moringa oliefera mixed with herbs on the basis of specific dosha involved is beneficial. In pittaja abscess it shall be used with water, with kanji – fermented drink in case of vataja abscess, with urine of cow in kaphaja abscess or it should be used with wine.

10. Use of Shilajatu – Asphaltum shall be used with specific dosha-pacifying decoctions.

D. Vasti – enema treatment

Anuvasana – unctuous and Asthapana – evacuating enemas prepared with decoctions of Varunadi, Ushakadi and Virechaniya group of herbs mixed with oil should be administered.

E. Use of bloodletting

Bloodletting shall be done either using jalauka – leech or shringa – horn. In abscess caused by vitiated blood and pitta, venesection of vein should be done in the middle of the arm.
Read – Alabu Avacharana – Bloodletting Method Using Bottle gourd

F. Prevention of formation of suppuration in the abscess

The physician should take care to see that suppuration does not take place in the abscess. Once the abscess suppurates, the treatment and its result will be at the mercy of God. The treatment of abscess should be started very quickly in comparison to any other disease.

G. Treatment of incompletely drained internal abscess

1. Decoction of Varanadi group of herbs or decoction of Madhushigru – Moringa oliefera should be given with kanji, sura, asava or maireya or hot water. The abscess gets drained properly with this i.e. the pus from the abscess gets evacuated.

2. Rice gruel prepared with the same decoctions mentioned above (1) should be given mixed with soup of barley, jujube and horse gram.

3. Shodhana – cleansing – should be administered using Tilwaka Ghrta or Trayamana Ghrta after 10 days after having considered the strength of the patient.

4. After purification in the above said method, Tilwaka Ghrta should be mixed with honey and given repeatedly in small quantity.