A comparative study of symptoms of kirika in text bhranthukalpam with similar references in traditional texts of ayurveda

Exploration of medical literature is a method to revive past tradition and upgrade the theoretical framework of treatment. Bhranthukalpam is such a traditional text detailing the practice of manasroga (Ayurvic mental health care) under the terminology “kirika”. Exploratory study of this text was conducted to identify the characteristics of traditional manasroga treatment and the medical significance of the concept of “kirika” in contemporary psychiatry. Methodology: An exploratory study was done on text Bhranthukalpam with special reference to term kirika. The comparative study of it was done with five other traditional texts (one palmscript, two Tamil texts and two Malayalam texts) with kirika reference identified through field survey and other similar references in Ayurvedic classical texts. The agreement between the similar texts was analyzed by Kappa scoring. Results: The references in the text had parallels in Kerala tradition (a state in South India), it was variant from Tamilnadu (a state in South India) tradition as well as from classical Ayurveda texts. Symptoms of kirika showed more congruence with mood disorders. Conclusion: The traditional manasroga practice was extensive one but the current practitioners were not aware of it. Treatments of these texts could be observed for their efficacy.