Tiwari M K, Singh Arjun, Khooha Ajay, Goutam U K
Accelerator Physics and Synchrotrons Utilization Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, 452013, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, India.
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Ministry of AYUSH, New Delhi, 110058, India.
J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2023 Mar-Apr;14(2):100690. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100690. Epub 2023 Feb 21.
In Ayurveda, 'Lauha' (Iron) Bhasma is primarily used to cure diseases related to iron deficiency in humans. It is produced from purified raw metallic iron using a combination of multi-step traditional preparation processes described in the Ayurveda literature. Here, we present the results of structural investigation performed on the medicinal grade 'Lauha' Bhasma using various X-ray based techniques. Our results indicate that after several rounds of heating and cooling in specific conditions following the Ayurvedic preparation procedure, metallic iron eventually converts to a natural iron-oxide mineral belonging to the magnetite group. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray standing wave assisted fluorescence measurements carried out on powdered Bhasma specimen reveal that the magnetite micro-particles in the Bhasma specimen are usually present in the form of agglomerates of nano-particles. We anticipate that the Ayurvedic Lauha Bhasma has great potential for noninvasive localized target killing of cancer cells, particularly in sensitive parts of the human body such as the brain, spinal cord, and lungs, via necrosis by application of an alternating external magnetic field or photo electron generation through X-rays.
在阿育吠陀医学中，“Lauha”（铁）煅灰主要用于治疗人类缺铁相关疾病。它是通过阿育吠陀文献中描述的多步传统制备工艺组合，由纯化的金属铁原料制成。在此，我们展示了使用各种基于X射线的技术对药用级“Lauha”煅灰进行结构研究的结果。我们的结果表明，按照阿育吠陀制备程序在特定条件下经过几轮加热和冷却后，金属铁最终转化为属于磁铁矿族的天然铁氧化物矿物。对煅灰粉末样品进行的扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和X射线驻波辅助荧光测量表明，煅灰样品中的磁铁矿微粒通常以纳米颗粒聚集体的形式存在。我们预计，阿育吠陀Lauha煅灰通过施加交变外部磁场导致坏死或通过X射线产生光电子，在对癌细胞进行无创局部靶向杀伤方面具有巨大潜力，尤其是在人体的敏感部位，如大脑、脊髓和肺部。
