Natural resources such as plants, animals and minerals have always been used by mankind to develop drugs and marine world is no exception. Marine by-products like conches, pearls, mother of pearl shells, corals and so forth have been used by traditional Ayurvedic practitioners for centuries. The unique methods of these preparations are scientifically designed to eliminate unwanted impurities and convert them into bioavailable form. In this study, Conch (Xanchus pyrum) was used as a marine resource of calcium carbonate and was converted pharmaceutically from its aragonite form to calcite. All the steps of preparations and changes in the properties therein were documented and validated. Further, traditional as well as modern analytical tools were used to study its physical and chemical characters to develop a monograph. The physical characterization included particle size, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR). Metal composition and heavy metal limits were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICPOES). This study revealed the rearrangement of aragonite crystals into calcite form by grinding, trituration with aloe vera juice and incineration under controlled conditions. Moreover, the finished product was found to be devoid of organic matrix that is nacre. This study creates a foundation for the development of a master formula for commonly used Shankha Bhasma in Ayurvedic medicines.

Adjunct treatment with herbo-mineral and metallic Ayurvedic drugs appears to have a significant effect on reducing the toxic side effects of chemotherapy drugs in cancer patients. Our preliminary data suggests that Ayurvedic treatment should be given simultaneously from the beginning of chemotherapy to have the desired effect. However, there is a need to extend this work by conducting a well-planned two-armed study on cancer patients with defined cancer sites with selected Ayurvedic drug combinations, and observing the patients for a longer period of time to confirm the effectiveness of Ayurvedic drugs in reducing the side effects of chemotherapy.

Objective: Long term survival of high-risk malignant melanoma is difficult to achieve in spite of radical surgery, adjunct chemotherapy, radiotherapy and biological therapy. The aim of this case presentation is to demonstrate effectiveness of herbal combination in achieving long term DFS of a high-risk melanoma patient. Case presentation:We reports here a case of a patient with Stage IIIB malignant melanoma with palpable axillary lymph node. After surgical removal of only the primary lesion he did not opt for radiotherapy or chemotherapy or interferon therapy. Instead, he opted to take combination of herbal medicines at ICTRC, Pune. After the initial period of Ayurvedic treatment for 5 months, the palpable axillary lymph node enlarged. It was subjected to second surgery. The histopathological report of partial second surgery revealed residual melanoma with extensive exudate consisting of lymphocytes and histiocytes indicative of intense immune reactivity. No further recurrence or metastasis is noted for 20 yrs. The patient is continued to take herbal medicines and detoxifying Ayurvedic treatment modality called Panchakarma and is in Disease Free State with good quality of life and fit physical condition. Conclusion:In this case improvement in immune status and quality of life is achieved using herbal medicines and Panchakarma treatment in absence of known anti-cancer treatments. Further clinical studies on large cohort and at the level of basic research are warranted.

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