GRAHABADHA- A STUDY OF MICROBIAL INFECTION IN ANCIENT TIMES

Ayurveda is the oldest and time tested rich medical science which has been protecting our health since cen-turies. Ayurveda is systematically divided into eight clinical branches. Among them Vagbhata have given third place for Grahabadha. Ashtang hridaya, Sushruta and Madhava Nidan have explained Grahabadha in detail while Charaka is silent about Grahabadha. Later there are many books which copy the same with slight difference. Coherence in understanding the principles of Ayurveda is very essential to understand and apply them into practice. There is no clear-cut description of microbial infection in ayurvedic texts. But the description of unidentified vectors is found scattered in our texts like- Skanda, Putana, Revati, etc. These terms have been mentioned collectively under the description of Grahabadha when considered in-dividually they resemble some of the clinical features and associated features of microbial infection. After complete study of concept of Grahabadha it is concluded that these unidentified vectors are thought to be microbes, which cannot be seen by naked eyes but produce group of diseases of multi systemic origin and syndromes.