Evaluation of saraswata churna and samvardhana ghrita on speech in cerebral palsy - A Randomized controlled clinical trial

Cerebral Palsy is a group of permanent disorders of movement and posture. It may develop into a range of secondary conditions over time that will variably affect functional abilities, such as disturbed neuromuscular control of speech mechanisms, often resulting in communication disorders especially poor speech production in patients with CP. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of motor disability worldwide, with a prevalence of 2 to 2.5 per 1000 live births. Due to non-progressive disturbances in the developing fetal or infant brain, it causes limitation of activity. Cerebral Palsy is physiologically classified into four main types: Spastic, Dyskinetic, Ataxic, or Mixed. Of all these, Spastic Cerebral Palsy is the most common.

Several comorbidities distinguish the clinical picture of children with CP, such as communication impairment, feeding difficulties, intellectual disability, vision and hearing impairment, and epilepsy. Communication difficulties in CP include altered phonation, low speech intelligibility, abnormal development of gesture and facial expression, and receptive and expressive language impairment. Communication impairment has been identified in at least 40% of children with CP. About 36 to 90% of children undergo motor speech impairments. The treatment of speech usually depends on the severity and includes speech therapy and physical exercises that focus on strengthening the muscles involved in speech.

Oral muscle relaxant drugs such as diazepam, baclofen, and dantrolene may have side effects like impaired memory, confusion, attention deficits, ataxia, and weakness.

Saraswata churna and Samvardhana ghrita are formulations mentioned by Acharyas in Sahasrayoga and Kashyapa Samhita respectively. These are indicated in conditions like vakgraha, muka, and swara sanshtana roga. Such properties may help improve speech in cerebral palsy.