Evaluation of Amalaki Rasayana on DNA repair and Immune Profile in Human Subjects
Ayurveda is a comprehensive system of medicine first described by Charaka. Traditional ayurveda consists of eight branches. Rasayana is one of the important branches of Ayurveda. There are many fruits, herbs and spices in ayurveda that are considered as rasayanas. These Rasayanas are aimed at keeping the enzymes in the tissue cells in their normal functioning condition. Rasayana drugs are very rich in powerful antioxidants and are good hepatoprotective and immunomodulating agents. Rasayana therapy is a specialized procedure practiced in the form of rejuvenation recipes, dietary regimen and special health promoting right conduct and behavior (Govindarajan et al., 2005). However, there is no scientific evidence of these rasayanas on promotion of longevity and there are few reports on antimutagenic activity.

Aging is a continual process involving gradual and multiple molecular changes leading to biochemical alterations with altered tissue homeostasis. Extensive report suggests that there are significant alterations in DNA repair capabilities in aged human beings. It is known that the DNA damage and mutations are found to accumulate with ageing. Furthermore, DNA repair defect and consequent accumulation of DNA damage may be responsible for ageing. The ageing is related to deficiency of DNA repair capacity which may be altered by traditional rasayanas. Similarly, during aging, there is reduced immune response which may be related to altered DNA repair capabilities. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore new avenues to fight the deleterious health effects due to aging. In this regard, Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicinal approach especially rasayana therapy holds promise in understanding of the mechanisms of rasayana on aging and its beneficial effects on current practice. Hence, in the present investigations, Amalaki rasayana was selected to understand the relationship of altered immune function and the effects on DNA repair capacity in aged human subjects.