Various types of Kushtha and modern co-relation by Prof. Satyendra Narayan Ojha

Seven Mahakushtha-

1) Kapala Kushtha:

कृष्णारुणकपालाभं यद्रूक्षं परुषं तनु| 

कापालं तोदबहुलं तत्कुष्ठं विषमं स्मृतम्||१४|| 



kr̥ṣṇāruṇakapālābhaṁ yadrūkṣaṁ paruṣaṁ tanu| 

kāpālaṁ tōdabahulaṁ tatkuṣṭhaṁ viṣamaṁ smr̥tam||14|| 

Colour – kr̥ṣṇa (blackish), aruṇa
(reddish)

 Nature – Kapāla (similar to
broken piece of earthen pot)

 Touch – Rūkṣa
(dry), paruṣa (rough), tanu (thin)

 Associated symptoms – severe
pain

 Sadhya / sadyata – Difficult
to cure

 Fig.1
Kapāla / actinic keratosis non
hypertrohic

Fig1a Kapāla / tuberculoid
leprosy

2) Udumbara Kushtha:

दाहकण्डूरुजारागपरीतं लोमपिञ्जरम्| 

उदुम्बरफलाभासं कुष्ठमौदुम्बरं विदुः||१५|| 



dāhakaṇḍūrujārāgaparītaṁ lōmapiñjaram| 

udumbaraphalābhāsaṁ kuṣṭhamaudumbaraṁ viduḥ||15|| 

Colour – Similar
to udumbara fruit

Nature – rāgaparīta
(redness), lōmapiñjara
(hair on the patch become brown)

Associated symptoms – burning
sensation, pruritus and pain.

Fig. 2 udumbara
/ nodular leprosy of childhood

Fig. 2a udumbara/dermatitis herpetiformis

Fig. 2b udumbara
/ venous eczema

Fig. 2c udumbara
/ dyshidrosis

3)Mandala Kushtha:

श्वेतं रक्तं स्थिरं स्त्यानं स्निग्धमुत्सन्नमण्डलम्| 

कृच्छ्रमन्योन्यसंसक्तं कुष्ठं मण्डलमुच्यते||१६|| 



śvētaṁ raktaṁ sthiraṁ styānaṁ snigdhamutsannamaṇḍalam| 

kr̥cchramanyōnyasaṁsaktaṁ kuṣṭhaṁ maṇḍalamucyatē||16|| 

Colour – white
and red

Nature – sthira
(slow progress), styāna
(ghana) (compact), snigdha, elevated round patches

Associated symptoms – patches
are matted

Sadhyasadhyata – Difficult
to cure

Fig.3
Maṇḍala / lepromatous leprosy

Fig.
3a Maṇḍala / lepromatous leprosy

4)Rsyajihva Kushtha:

कर्कशं रक्तपर्यन्तमन्तः श्यावं सवेदनम्| 

यदृष्यजिह्वासंस्थानमृष्यजिह्वं तदुच्यते||१७|| 



karkaśaṁ raktaparyantamantaḥ śyāvaṁ savēdanam| 

yadr̥ṣyajihvāsaṁsthānamr̥ṣyajihvaṁ taducyatē||17|| 

Colour – Rakta paryanta anta śyāvaṁ (red in edges
and brown inside)

Nature
–
karkaśa (rough), it
resembles the tongue of R̥ṣya (a type of deer with blue testicles
Ca.Ci.7 / 17 Chakrapani)

Associated symptoms – pain

Fig.
4 R̥ṣyajihvā/borderline lepromatous leprosy

Fig.
4a R̥ṣyajihvā
/ Erythema migrans /erythematous rash in Lyme disease

5)Pundarika Kushtha:

सश्वेतं रक्तपर्यन्तं पुण्डरीकदलोपमम्| 

सोत्सेधं च सदाहं च पुण्डरीकं तदुच्यते||१८|| 



saśvētaṁ raktaparyantaṁ puṇḍarīkadalōpāmām| 

sōtsēdhaṁ ca sadāhaṁ ca puṇḍarīkaṁ taducyatē||18|| 

Colour – White
with red edges

Nature – resembles
lotus petals, elevated patches

Associated symptoms – burning
sensation

Fig.
5 Puṇḍarīka
/ erythema multiforme

6) Sidhma Kuṣṭha:

श्वेतं ताम्रं तनु च यद्रजो ^[१] घृष्टं विमुञ्चति| 

अलाबूपुष्पवर्णं तत् सिध्मं प्रायेण चोरसि||१९|| 



śvētaṁ tāmraṁ tanu ca yadrajō ^[1] ghr̥ṣṭaṁ vimuñcati| 

alābūpuṣpavarṇaṁ tat sidhmaṁ prāyēṇa cōrasi||19|| Colour – white
coppery, colour resembles flower of alābū
(lagenaria siceraria)

Nature –
thin

Associated symptom – particles
resembling dust are observed, it is located mostly on chest [due to dominancy
of kapha on ura pradesh Ca.Ci.7/19 Cakrapani].

Fig. 6 sidhma / pityrasis alba

Fig 6a sidhma / tinea versicolar

Fig 6b sidhma / tinea versicolar

Fig. 6c sidhma / pityrasis alba

7)Kākaṇaka Kuṣṭha

यत् काकणन्तिकावर्णमपाकं तीव्रवेदनम्| 

त्रिदोषलिङ्गं तत् कुष्ठं काकणं नैव सिध्यति||२०|| 



yat kākaṇantikāvarṇamapākaṁ tīvravēdanam| 

tridōṣaliṅgaṁ tat kuṣṭhaṁ kākaṇaṁ naiva sidhyati||20|| 

Colour –
resemble gunjā
(abrus
precatorious) i.e. red in colour

Nature – does
not get suppurated

Associated symptoms – Pain
and incurable, all the 3 dōṣa are present

Fig
7 Kākaṇaka / squamous cell carcinoma

Fig
8 Kākaṇaka / squamous cell carcinoma

इति सप्तमहाकुष्ठानि

iti saptamahākuṣṭhāni

This
ends the explanation of seven mahakuṣṭha.

Eleven ksudra kuṣṭha

1)Eka kuṣṭha –

अस्वेदनं महावास्तु यन्मत्स्यशकलोपमम्| 

तदेककुष्टं

asvēdanaṁ mahāvāstu yanmatsyaśakalōpāmām| 

tadēkakuṣṭaṁ, 

Nature – resembles
scales of fish

Location – Extensive

Fig
9 Eka kuṣṭha / ichthyosisVulgaris

Fig9a Eka kuṣṭha/ichthyosis vulgaris

2)Carmākhya Kuṣṭha –

चर्माख्यं बहलं हस्तिचर्मवत्||२१|| 

carmākhyaṁ bahalaṁ hasticarmavat||21|| 

Nature – skin
is thick resembling elephant skin

Fig
10 carmākhya
/ scleroderma

Fig 10a carmākhya / elephant like skin

3)Kiṭibha Kuṣṭha-

श्यावं किणखरस्पर्शं परुषं किटिमं स्मृतम्| 

śyāvaṁ kiṇakharasparśaṁ paruṣaṁ kiṭimaṁ smr̥tam| 

kiṇakharasparśa
-
ikNaKrspSa- - touch similar to the granulation process
in wound.

Colour – It
is blackish brown

Nature – Rough
similar to scar tissue and hard to touch

Fig
11 Kiṭibha / psoriasis

Fig
11a Kiṭibha / lichen sclerosus

4)Vaipādika kuṣṭha –

वैपादिकं पाणिपादस्फुटनं तीव्रवेदनम्||२२|| 

vaipādikaṁ pāṇipādasphuṭanaṁ tīvravēdanam||22|| 

Location – Hand
and legs

Nature – cracks
in palms and sole

Associated symptoms – severe
/ excruciating pain

Fig 12 Vaipādika / anhidrosis

Fig 12a Vaipādika / dermatitis

Fig 12b Vaipādika / eczema

5)Alasaka Kuṣṭha –

कण्डूमद्भिः सरागैश्च गण्डैरलसकं चितम्| 



kaṇḍūmadbhiḥ sarāgaiśca gaṇḍairalasakaṁ citam| 

Nature – Nodules

Associated symptoms – Pruritus

Colour – redness

Fig
13 alasaka / dermatosis neglecta

Fig
13a alasaka / prurigo nodularis

6)Dadru kuṣṭha

सकण्डूरागपिडकं दद्रुमण्डलमुद्गतम्||२३|| 



sakaṇḍūrāgapiḍakaṁ dadrumaṇḍalamudgatam||23|| 

Colour – redness

Nature – Elevated
circular patch with pidaka

Associated symptoms –
Itching

Fig 14 dadru
/ ringworm

Fig 14a dadru/ringworm

7)Carmadala Kuṣṭha

रक्तं ^[१] सकण्डु सस्फोटं सरुग्दलति चापि यत्| 

तच्चर्मदलमाख्यातं संस्पर्शासहमुच्यते||२४|| 

raktaṁ ^[1] sakaṇḍu sasphōṭaṁ sarugdalati cāpi yat| 

taccarmadalamākhyātaṁ saṁsparśāsahamucyatē||24|| 

Colour – Redness

Nature –
pustules, cracks in skin which are
crusted

Associated symptoms – Itching

Fig. 15. Carmadala / atheletics foot

8)Pāmā kuṣṭha

पामाश्वेतारुणश्यावाः कण्डूलाः पिडका भृशम्| 



pāmāśvētāruṇaśyāvāḥ kaṇḍūlāḥ piḍakā bhr̥śam| 

Colour – white,
reddish, brownish blackish

 Nature – Itching

Associated symptoms –piḍakā
(erruptions)

Fig.
16. Pāmā / scabies

9)Visphōṭa kuṣṭha

स्फोटाः श्वेतारुणाभासो विस्फोटाः स्युस्तनुत्वचः||२५|| 

sphōṭāḥ śvētāruṇābhāsō visphōṭāḥ syustanutvacāḥ||25|| 

Colour – white
greenish in appearance

Nature – erruptions
and pustules with thin skin

Fig17 Visphōṭa / herpetic folliculitis

10)Śatāru kuṣṭha

रक्तं श्यावं सदाहार्ति शतारुः स्याद्बहुव्रणम्| 



raktaṁ śyāvaṁ sadāhārti śatāruḥ syādbahuvraṇam| Colour – reddish,
blackish

Nature – ulcerated

Associated symptoms – burning
sensation and pain

Fig. 18 Śatāru / furuncle

Fig. 18a Śatāru / furuncle

11)Vicārcikā kuṣṭha

सकण्डूः पिडका श्यावा बहुस्रावा विचर्चिका||२६|| 



sakaṇḍūḥ piḍakā śyāvā bahusrāvā vicārcikā||26|| 

Colour – blackish
brown

Nature – excessive
exudation, erruptions

Associated symptoms – pruritus

Fig. 19 Vicārcikā / wet eczema

इत्येकादश क्षुद्रकुष्ठानि

ityēkādaśa kṣudrakuṣṭhāni

This
ends the explanation of 11 ksudrakuṣṭha.

***********************************************************************************************************

Prof. Satyendra Narayan Ojha  

MD PhD (Kayachikitsa)

Director

Annasaheb Dange Ayurveda Medical College, Ashta, Sangali, Maharashtra, India.

Mobile No.- +91 9822177155     

email: drsnojha@rediffmail.com