Quality analysis, Anti-bacterial activity and Chemical Characterization of Ethnobotanical (Hawan) Medicinal Fumes

Abstract

Background: In Vedic literature, the traditional ritual Hawan is said to purify the environment and cure diseases in an eco-friendly way. Previously studies have shown potential of herbal fume for anti-microbial activity as well as for therapeutic purposes along with reduction in the air pollutants post Hawan. However, there was no study which had tested and compared herbal fumes of hawan in control and natural environment for air-quality, anti-bacterial activity and for presence of bio-compounds present in time-dependent manner simultaneously. This work aims to evaluate air quality of hawan and simultaneously evaluate bio-compounds present in it to find its potential for integrative medicine. This work aims to investigate its efficacy in air purification and potential application in modern integrative medicine. Methods: Chambers for performing Hawan under natural and controlled experimental conditions were constructed. Hawan was performed for 30min in a chamber. Chamber air and Hawan herbal fumes were sampled before, during (30 min) and at end (24-72 hours) to find viable bacterial load of air, chemical bio-actives (phyto-constituents), and air quality markers (gases and pollutants) by standard techniques and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis along with analysis of pyrolysed hawan herbal fumes and Hawan ingredients. OneWay ANOVA with post hoc analysis by Tukey’s test was performed for comparison of air quality parameters during different experiments. Results: Transient sharp increase in CO, CO2, NOx levels (albeit within permissible limits) observed during Hawan was followed by decrease below baseline after 24hrs of Hawan in open-door natural conditions. Statistically significant persistent reduction (88-90\%) (p<0.0001) in the viable bacterial count of air compared to control was observed upto ≥72 hours after Hawan, when all pathogenic bacteria present in air were eliminated, leaving few \textit{Bacillus spp.} known to be beneficial for human health. GCMS analysis of Hawan medicinal fumes and pyrolysed Hawan ingredients revealed presence of an array of bioactive compounds known to have antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, air cleansing and nutritional activity and health benefits. Conclusion: Thus, through temporal and simultaneous analysis of Hawan air quality, its anti-microbial activity and phytochemical characterization, the study provided evidence-based-support to multifaceted potential of Hawan as described in ancient literature which can be put to immense use for therapeutic utility in modern time.

Particulate Matter and Gaseous Emissions from Yagya Fume in Open and Closed Door Environment

“…The findings of our study shed light on the impact of Yagya fumes on air quality, with a specific focus on particulate matter (PM) and various gases in open and closed room settings. During Yagya, there was a significant increase in PM levels, while the levels of Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen oxide (NOx), Ozone (O 3 ), and Sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) fluctuated but remained generally within permissible limits [8,9] which are consistent with findings from other studies [5,10,11] suggesting that Yagya does not have a significant adverse impact on these gas levels. The increase in PM levels during Yagya can be attributed to the burning of Mango wood, Ghee and Hawan samagri.…”

Yagna Pathy: a cost-effective, traditional low-intensity psychological intervention to manage Common Mental disorders: A cross-sectional pilot study

“…Apart from that the anti-microbial, antioxidant, immune protective and air cleaner role of herbal smoke released from Yagna is also evident in the literature (Chaube, Chaube, Saxena, Solanki, Chandra Tiwari, et al, 2020;D. Kumar, 2019;Rastogi et al, 2022;S. D. Shukla et al, 2012).…”

“…Thus, inhaling the smoke originating from Hawan must have a positive impact on neurological well-being. The specific shape and size of the Agni-Kunda (Energy Field), the arrangement of wood pieces in it, and the time-frequency and amount of ingredients used in Hawan account for controlled chemical processing in the fire and lead to sublimation, chemical conversion and/or transformation into vapor phase of the herbal/plant medicinal preparation leading to release the smokes of medicinally important phytochemicals (Bansal et al, 2015;Chaube, Chaube, Saxena, Solanki, Chandra Tiwari, et al, 2020;Rastogi et al, 2022). The reference to the effectiveness of Yagna has been documented in ancient literature in Indian medicine.…”