Fumigation in Ayurveda: potential strategy for drug discovery and drug delivery

Ayurveda has its unique perceptions and resultant methodologies for defining and treating human diseases. Fumigation therapy is one of the several treatment methods described in Ayurveda whereby fumes produced from defined drug formulations are inhaled by patients. This therapeutic procedure offers promising research opportunities from phytochemical and ethnopharmacological viewpoints, however, it remains under-noticed. Considering these facts, this review is primarily aimed at introducing said Ayurvedic fumigation therapy and discussing its scientific gaps and future challenges.

A search of multiple bibliographical databases and traditional Ayurvedic text books was conducted and the articles analyzed under various key themes, e.g., Ayurvedic fumigation, fumigation therapy, medicinal fumigation, inhalation of drugs and aerosol therapy.

Ayurveda recommends fumigation as a method of sterilization and therapeutic procedure for various human diseases including microbial infections and psychological disorders. However, it has not gained much attention as a prospective field with multiple research opportunities.

It is necessary to have a more detailed and systematic investigation of the phytochemical and pharmacodynamic properties of Ayurvedic fumigation therapy in order to facilitate the identification of novel bioactive compounds and more effective drug administration methods.