Clinical evaluation of kantakari avaleha in the management of kasa (cough) in children: An open-label single-arm clinical study

Background. Cough is one of the common respiratory complaints encountered in children. Ayurveda describes Kasa as a distinct disease involving the Pranavaha Srotas, with Vata and Kapha playing important roles in its pathogenesis. Kantakari Avaleha is a classical Ayurvedic formulation traditionally used in respiratory disorders. Aim. To clinically evaluate the effect of Kantakari Avaleha in the management of Kasa in children aged 5–12 years. Materials and Methods. A prospective, open-label, interventional, single-arm clinical study was conducted in 60 children aged 5–12 years. Kantakari Avaleha was administered according to the study protocol. Clinical assessment was performed at baseline and during follow-up, with subjective and objective parameters and selected laboratory investigations. Statistical analysis used paired t-test. Results. Thirty-three participants (55%) were male and 27 (45%) female; 36 (60%) were aged 8–10 years. Cough bouts per hour decreased from a mean score of 2.96 before treatment to 1.16 after treatment, corresponding to 60.81% improvement (p<0.0001). Sleep disturbance improved by 59.70%, throat infection by 61.57%, wheeze by 49.41%, crepitations by 76.08% and sputum by 59.71%. Overall, 15 children (25%) had ≥75% relief, 30 (50%) had 51–75% relief, 13 (21.67%) had 25–50% relief and 2 (3.33%) had 1–25% relief. No adverse effects were reported during the study period. Conclusion. Kantakari Avaleha was associated with improvement in clinical features of Kasa and was well tolerated during the 21-day observation period. Because this was an open-label single-arm study, controlled comparative studies with larger samples and longer follow-up are required.