Vitiligo is considered an incurable disease but Ayurvedic medicines can arrest the spread of the disease and also achieve remarkable repigmentation. Treatment is given to pacify the imbalanced body energies, cleanse the blood and restore skin color. Ayurveda considers poor digestion to be the main root cause of this disease. Improper digestion causes the build-up of toxins in the tissues, blood and skin. This leads to depigmentation. So the most important part of Ayurvedic treatment is to restore digestion by following diet and lifestyle guidelines. In addition to this, proper assessment of the causative factor is also important that should be followed by appropriate ayurvedic treatment .
• Shaman chikitsa: It includes oral as well as external application of various herbal medications. Two types of medications are basically used:
• Kastha ausadhi or herbal drugs: This includes photosensitizing drugs that are used locally as well as systematically along with sun exposure. Blood purifiers are also given to purify the blood and remove its impurities
• Ras ausadhi or herbo-mineral drugs: These drugs act like immune-suppressant and also initiate repigmentation in those patients whose disease is spreading very fast.
• Pathya (Dietary guidelines): It includes strict diet restrictions, lifestyle modifications, yoga and meditation.
This line of treatment is effective for most of the lesions but some lesions especially of mucosal surface of palms and finger tips; sometimes responds very poorly or incomplete. These lesions may need special treatments of longer duration to achieve desired repigmentation. Moreover maintenance treatment is also required to keep the repigmented lesions pigmented and prevent any reoccurrence of the disease.