Longitudinal Evaluation of Dravya and Guna Samanya Principles: A Drosophila melanogaster Model of Tissue Accretion Using Aja Mamsa (Capra hircus meat) and Masha (Vigna mungo).

Abstract

The Samanya Vishesha Siddhanta is a basic therapeutic principle of Ayurveda wherein similarity
leads to accumulation of tissues and dissimilarity leads to depletion. The present study is an
attempt to evaluate two traditional methods of treatment for tissue wasting (Dhatu Kshaya) in a
longitudinal way using Dravya Samanya (substance homology) with AjaMamsa (goat meat) and
Guna Samanya (quality homology) with Masha (black gram).
The study used an in vivo model of Drosophila melanogaster (N=400 wild type flies). The flies
were randomised into four groups: Full diet control (C1), Nutrient restricted half diet control
(C2), Masha Vesavara Test group (T1) and AjaMamsa Vesavara Test group (T2). Test diets were
formulated with 10% w/v of the respective extracts. Morphometric data (total body weight, axis
length, abdominal width and Body Mass Index (BMI)) were collected over a 30-day period, and
analysed by Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA and Tukey's HSD post-hoc test. The
nutrient-restricted cohort (C2) exhibited a steady decline in body mass by 5.88% at Day 30. Both
the AjaMamsa and Masha treatments reversed this wastage trend and resulted in significant gains
in mass. However, the AjaMamsa cohort (T2) showed a significantly better gain of 24.75% mass
gain as against the 19.00% gain in the Masha cohort (T1) (p<0.01) .
The AjaMamsa group also showed large increases in abdominal width. The trends in BMI were
similar for all the groups for the 30 days thus eliminating isolated and unhealthy deposition of
lipids and confirming the proportional and healthy structural tissue (Mamsa Vardhana). The
empirical data support the therapeutic superiority of Dravya Samanya (AjaMamsa) over Guna
Samanya (Masha) in building and restoring the tissue mass. These findings provide support for
an evidence-based clinical hierarchy for treatment of structural wasting, with direct homologous
substances being the primary intervention.