Ayurveda is one of the most ancient and scientific medicinal systems in the world. Apart from anatomy, physiology and the eight branches, i.e. Ashtanga Ayurveda,several modes of therapy and more than 2000 medicinal plants have been described in ancient texts. Leucorrhoea and menorrhagia are two common disorders in women of reproductive age and Ayurvedic texts are replete with shlokas mentioning the use of hundreds of medicinal plants to be used for these disorders. However it is neither feasible n or ideal to use too many plants in all subtypes of the diseases, and since these specifications are not provided in the cryptic shlokas, it has become necessary to select the plants based on their Phytochemical, Ayurvedic and Experimental Pharmacological properties. In this paper we have briefly reviewed our work and suggest standard as well as novel aspects of properties of medicinal plants which should be considered in the development of effective remedies for leucorrhoea and menorrhagia. Investigations like cervical and vaginal cytology, ultrasonography, hormone assays and microbiological techniques can help us in identifying the subsets of patients and selecting plant combinations which will be useful in individualization of therapy.
Key words: Leucorrhoea, Menorrhagia, Ayurveda, Medicinal plants, Toxicity testing, Gynecology,
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