Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It reflects healthy and unhealthy stage of the  body. Generally, leprosy is used for various skin diseases. 

Tvachah kurvanti vaivarnyam dushtah
kushmushanti tat II A.H.Ni 14/3

Leprosy is a disease which spreads quickly on the skin and changes skin colour.
Leprosy is multi disorder disease. It affects body badly. It has been taken as blood pradoshaj and ashtmahagad. We feel sensation due to presence of sense organs in the skin. It affects mind. Therefore, leprosy patients receive physical as well as mental pain. It comes under pshychosomatic disorder. 

In panchkarma, the disorder is taken out by mouth, anus and nose through strehan and swedan. Under the panchkarma, vomiting, virechan, basti (anuvasan, niruh), nasya processes. Panchkarma is used not only for shodhan but also for langhan, brihana, lekhan and shaman.

Samprapti of leprosy

Excessive use of leprosy treatment affects fire, vat, bile and cough. Fire and tridosh spread in the entire skin. It affects skin, blood, muscle and lasika. It creates kled. It causes symptoms of skin discolour, itching, dah and rag. It's sign of leprosy in the body.

Leprosy treatment

Leprosy is treated according to the disorder. Before treating leprosy, it must be found out whether it's curable or not. 
Ekdoshaj, kafvataj, rasagat-sukh sadhya, vatpitt, kafpitta, raktamansagata-is hardly curable, while medogat-yapya and tridoshaj, bone, marrow, shukragata-are considered as incurable. (Ch.Chi. 7/38)

Vatottreshu sarpivamanam shleshmottreshu kushtheshu I Pittottreshu moksho raktsya virachanam chagre II Ch.Chi 7/39

The patients should undergo ghritpan and vomiting process in vatpradhan leprosy and  virachan and kafpradhan leprosy respectively.
 
Snehpan in leprosy

The patients should undergo shodhnang snehpan-vomiting, virechan. There are two types of leprosy-snigdh and ruksha. Snehpan snigdh is advisable for ruksh leprosy, while snehpan koshthasnidgh is advisable for snigdh leprosy. 

Swedan in leprosy

Sharp swedan is prohibited in leprosy, but slow swedan like pulse swedan and prastar swed are used. Material swed can also be advisable. 

Shodhan in leprosy

Describing shodhan in leprosy (A.H. 19/96), acharya advises the patients to do vomiting in 15-15 days, snansan in one month, raktmokshan in six months and nasya in three days. 

Vomiting in leprosy

The process of taking out disorder through mouth is called vomiting. In case of kafpradhan, leprosy, abdominal disorder, wound in body's vertical part, the patients are advised to undergo vomiting in winter season. The medicines like madanphal, patol, nimb, kutaj are used for vomiting. 
Virechan in leprosy

The process of taking out disorder through anus is called virechan. In case of pittapradhan leprosy, abdominal disorder and adhodeh leprosy, the patients are advised to undergo virechan. The medicines like trivrit, aargvadha, danti, triphala are used in virechan. Daily virechan is advisable in Sushrut Sanhita where the weak patients are advised to undertake virechan in the morning till 5, 6, 7 and 8 days.
  
Basti in leprosy

Basti is prohibited in leprosy. But basti is advisable for children and older age leprosy patients. Niruh basti with tikt materials and anuvasan basti of marichyadi, guduchyadi and kayakalp oil can be used. 

Nasya in leprosy

Taking out disorder from vertical jatru by putting medicines in nose is called nasya which is used kaphpradhan, krimij and vertical jatru leprosy. Black salt, black pepper, vidang and pippali are used in nasya. 

Raktamokshan in leprosy

Taking out contaminated blood from the body is called raktamokshan which is advisable in pittpradhan and raktapradhan disorder. Raktamokshan is undertaken through sirabedha, prachchhanna, jalauka, shringa, alabu and ghatiyantra. Generally, leprosy is called very complicated disease. Shodhan is effective to check this disease. Apart from panchkarma, shaman medicines, chemicals and diets control the disease.

Diets advisable for leprosy patients

• Sex, non-veg and wine are prohibited for leprosy patients. Old rice, mung, yava, cereal and spinach are beneficial in this disease.

   

• The patients should use ghee, lep, yava, gaudhum, shali, mung, masur and honey. 

   

• Sugarcane, sour materials, til, urad, new shali, muli, curd, jaggery are beneficial in this disease.