A 2025 observational study in India, published in the International Journal of Medical and Public Health, investigated the effectiveness of Ayurveda, specifically Panchakarma therapy, in managing pain and improving the quality of life for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune neurological disease that inflames and damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Panchakarma involves cleansing procedures designed to detoxify the body and balance the three doshas (energies) in Ayurveda—vata, pitta and kapha.

Over the span of four years, 120 female MS patients aged 19 to 50 received personalized Panchakarma treatments, including snehana (oil therapy), swedana (steam therapy), vamana (induced vomiting), virechana (purgation), basti (enema), nasya (nasal therapy) and rasayana (rejuvenation), alongside yoga and meditation. While 20 percent of the participants showed limited benefits, the remaining 80 percent experienced significant improvements in self-reported pain, mobility and overall well-being, allowing them to reduce their reliance on corticosteroids.

While observational studies lack control groups and cannot establish causal relationships, they can be useful for exploring associations. Further research with larger sample sizes and a control group is needed to confirm these findings.