ENDOMETRIOSIS: AN AYURVEDIC INTERPRETATION AND INTEGRATIVE MANAGEMENT — A NARRATIVE REVIEW
Background: Endometriosis is a chronic, oestrogen-dependent inflammatory disease affecting about one in ten women of reproductive age. It causes dysmenorrhoea, chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia and infertility, and is now regarded as a systemic condition. Hormonal and surgical treatments are effective for many women, but symptoms frequently persist or recur, diagnosis is delayed by years, and many women seek complementary care. Ayurveda has no single term for endometriosis, but its features are described across several Yonivyapad (gynaecological disorders) dominated by vitiated Vata. Objective: To propose an Ayurvedic interpretation of endometriosis, correlate it with current pathophysiology and summarise the evidence for Ayurvedic and related integrative interventions. Methods: Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hridaya were reviewed for disorders of painful, obstructed and reversed menstrual flow. PubMed was searched for reviews, randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, case reports and experimental studies on endometriosis, Ayurveda, curcumin, diet, yoga and herbal medicine. Findings were synthesised narratively. Results: Endometriosis corresponds most closely to Udavartini yonivyapad, in which reversed movement of Apana vata carries menstrual blood upward, combined with features of Vatiki yonivyapad and Paripluta yonivyapad, and with Granthi-like lesions in advanced disease. Ayurvedic clinical evidence consists of case reports in which Basti, Uttara basti and oral medicines relieved pain and preceded conception. Turmeric-derived curcumin has the strongest supporting evidence among herbs used in Ayurveda: a randomised placebo-controlled trial of nanocurcumin added to dienogest reduced pain and improved quality of life, and experimental studies show anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic actions. Evidence for diet and yoga is preliminary. Conclusion: Ayurveda offers a coherent Vata-centred framework and several plausible adjunctive interventions for endometriosis. Controlled trials of standardised formulations and Basti protocols, used alongside conventional care, are now needed.