CONCEPTUAL AND CLINICAL EVALUATION OF BEEJABHAVA DUSHTI IN A CASE OF ANASTHI GARBHA i.e. NEURAL TUBE DEFECT: A CASE STUDY

Dr. Pratiksha Godbole*, Assoc. Prof. (Dr.) Reetu Pandey, Ass. Prof. (Dr.) Meenakshi Singh

ABSTRACT

Anasthi garbha is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted concept of Ayurved. In Ayurveda is described as a congenital condition arising from Beejabhava Dushti, particularly involving defective development of the Asthi Dhatu. Anasthi garbha is a term used in Ayurvedic embryology to describe a fetus formed without bones as a result of a sexual act between two females. Anasthi garbha is reporting of a rare incidence of birth of a child with skeletal dysplasia. It is not a boneless fetus but fetus with less and soft bones (dysostosis and considered responsible for this notion. This misunderstanding requires clarity. As Acharya Arunadatta in his commentary on Ashtang Hrudhaya says that Union male gamete with female gamete would only result in conception. Parthenogenesis normally does not occur in humans. Here the embryo develops from an ovum after duplication of maternal genome. There is no paternal genome in such embryos. Neural tube defects are major congenital anomalies resulting from failure of proper neural tube closure during early embryogenesis, leading to conditions such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of birth defects in which an opening in the spine or cranium remains from early in human development. When the neural tube does not close completely, an NTD develops. Specific types include: spina bifida which affects the spine, anencephaly which results in little to no brain, encephalocele which affects the skull, and iniencephaly which results in severe neck problems. NTDs are one of the most common birth defects, affecting over 300,000 births each year worldwide. Anencephaly is a severe, lethal, neural tube defect characterized by the partial or total absence of the brain and calvarium, with a 100% mortality rate either in utero or shortly after birth. It occurs when anterior neuropore fails to close between 23-26 days post-conception, affecting approximately 1 per 1,000 births and is associated with genetic and environmental risk factors such as maternal diabetes, obesity, toxin exposure, and folate deficiency. In fact Polydactyly associated with neural tube defects usually indicates a syndromic congenital anamoly, often with genetic or chromosomal etiology.

Keywords: Anasthi Garbha, Neural Tube Defect, Anencephaly, Enecephalocele, Spina Bifida, Neuropore, Asthi Dhatu.