for the use only of a registered medical practitioner or a hospital or a laboratory.
COUGH IN PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS
(A clinical study with Ayurvedic drug T-Tone)
by Dr. J. B. L. MATHUR, M.D., D.M.R.E., M.R.C.S. Medical Superintendent,
Kasturba T.B. Clinic and Hospital (Gandhi Memorial and Associated Hospitals)
Professor and Head of the Dept. of Tuberculosis, K.G. Medical College, LUCKNOW
The Indian Practitioner Vol. XX No. 6 : 409-10 June 1967
Cough is the most common symptom requir-ing treatment in pulmonary tuberculosis. A cer-tain amount of cough is often beneficial in order to free air passage of toxic secretions. A dry un-productive cough, however, serves no purpose and becomes a factor in preventing healing. Cough, even if productive, should not be so fre-quent as to exhaust the patient, disturb sleep, or cause vomiting of meals. Cough may also be of nervous origin or due to habit. Cough in tuberculosis usually responds to rest and open air, but often it persists in a stubborn manner to nullify the benefit expected from usual line of treatment.
Cough becomes a problem in weak, debili-tated, aged patients and in cases with as-sociated complications; more so because of dif-ficulty in prescribing a relatively non-toxic and harmless cough suppressent. Drug: An Ayurvedic preparation was tried for relief of cough in cases of pulmonary tuber-culosis. Drug tried was Tablet-T-Tone (Alarsin) contaning the following ingredients: Talispatra Co. 175.00 mg. Praval Bhasma 52.00 mg. Abhrak Bhasma 6.50 mg. Suvarna Makshikam 25.00 mg. Vasant Malini 1.50 mg.
Talispatra Co. is expectorant, sedative and anti-spasmodic. It is used in pulmonary condi-tions and in pulmonary tuberculosis. Praval Bhasma is used in Tuberculosis and amongst various other chest diseases. Abhrak Bhasma is well-known for its use in disorders of lungs ana tuberculosis. Suvarna Makshikam and Vasant Malini are used in debilitating conditions like tuberculosis. This combination has also been found useful in bronchitis, whooping cough and cough associated with upper respiratory tract infections.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
52 cases from our O.P.D. and hospitalised patients were treated with T-Tone. 42 of them were previously treated with cough linctus, but had not responded. 10 cases were treated with T-Tone only. 6 tablets per day were given in di-vided doses. Treatment was given for 2 weeks.
Improvement of 60% to 100% was taken as marked improvement. Improvement of 37% to 50% was taken as moderate improvement. Improvement of 12% to 25% was taken as slight improvement.
RESULTS
Table I shows 42 cases previously treated with cough linctus but had not responded.
TABLE I
| Marked improvement | 10 cases 23.8 % |
| Moderate improvement | 10 cases 23.8 % |
| Slight improvement | 13 cases 30.9 % |
| No improvement | 9 cases 21.43% |
Table II shows 10 cases who had not received cough linctus.
TABLE II
| Marked improvement | 3 cases | 30% |
| Moderate improvement | 3 cases | 30% |
| Slight improvement | 3 cases | 30% |
| No improvement | 1 case | 10% |
Side effects: No side-effects or untoward reac-tions were observed.
OBSERVATIONS
(I) Improvement was noticed by the end of first week in the most of the cases, and by second week in others.
(ii) Relief was observed in cough and expectoration.
Note: Tab T. TONE name was changed to Tab DEKOFCYN in 1975.
(iii) Sense of well-being and improvement in general health was observed.
(iv) No gastro-intestinal upset, no evidence of habituation and no euphoria was noticed.
(v) Does not depress respiration, does not se-date, or constipate and has no addiction potentiality.
(vi) Expectoration is not hindered.
CONCLUSIONS
Results appear to be satisfactory and encouraging. The drug has definite antitussive effect without drawback of usual drugs for cough, has in addition general tonic effects and can be given to children, aged and bedridden cases. It deserves a trial before using more potent drugs and is recommended for prolonged use. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are thankful to M/s. Alarsin Pharmaceut-icals, Bombay, for supply of T-Tone tablets. REFERENCES 1. Chopra, R. N.: Indigenous Drugs of India, 2nd Edn. (1958). 2. Nadkarni, A. K.: Indian Material Medica, 3rd Edn. (1954). 3. Shah, B. N.: Paper before 41st All India Med-ical Conference, (1965).
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