Efficacy of Udumbara Moola Jala as Pathya Kalpa in Management of Mutrakrichhra: A Single-Arm Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Mutrakrichhra (urinary tract infection) is characterised by painful micturition, burning sensation, and urinary frequency. Current antibiotic therapy faces challenges of antimicrobial resistance and side effects, necessitating the exploration of complementary interventions. Udumbara Moola Jala (Ficus racemosa L. root sap) represents a traditional Ayurvedic Pathya kalpa with Sheeta Virya (cooling potency) and Pitta-shamaka properties. Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Udumbara moola jala as a Pathya kalpa in managing Mutrakrichhra symptoms. Methods: A single-arm, pre-post interventional clinical trial was conducted at Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Ayurved Hospital, Pune, from April 2024 to July 2025. Thirty participants aged 18-50 years with Mutrakrichhra symptoms received 20 mL of authenticated Udumbara moola jala twice daily before meals for seven days. Primary outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale assessment for pain, graded scales for burning micturition, and urinary frequency. Secondary outcomes comprised urine pus cell count and total WBC count. Results: Significant improvements were observed across all parameters (p<0.001): lower abdominal pain decreased by 87.73% (5.43 to 0.67), pain during micturition by 85.63% (5.80 to 0.83), burning micturition by 81.63% (1.63 to 0.30), and urinary frequency by 75.51% (1.63 to 0.40). Objective parameters showed a 69.70% reduction in urine pus cells (2.20/hpf to 0.67/hpf) and a 29.72% decrease in total WBC count (10,263.33 cells/mm³ to 7,213.33 cells/mm³). Conclusions: Udumbara moola jala demonstrates significant therapeutic efficacy as a safe, economical Pathya kalpa intervention for Mutrakrichhra management, supporting integration as a complementary therapy in urinary tract infections.