this article is a detailed report of a recent ayurvedic herbal treatment of uterine prolapse , which the senior author has successfully applied in hundreds of cases over the past four decades . uterine prolapse is a specific form of the various kinds of genital prolapse common among the female population today , particularly those over 50 . while underlying causes may not be clear , what is clear is that physical weakness in that region is quite common . various outpatient treatments including vaginal pessaries may be prescribed , while for later stages 3 and 4 , surgery is usually recommended . national costs of this lack of alternative are high . in a 2005 study of female hospitalization in the us , whiteman et al , found gynecological disorders to account for 7% of hospitalizations for women aged 15 to 44 , and 14% for those aged 45 to 54 . of these , the genital prolapse rate was 7.0 , a figure that had remained steady for 7 years . while hysterectomy is the classic surgical intervention for uterine prolapse , studies show that its application in elderly populations requiring it are not without risk , particularly when co - morbidity conditions common in the elderly are present e.g. hypertension , respiratory disease , cvd or dm . modern alternatives include attempts to rebuild organ walls with porcine skin collagen implant or polypropylene , possibly supplemented by such devices as tension - free vaginal tape . the cost of these methods , and the inevitable pain and risks involved , make the possibility of a purely herbal alternative highly desirable , both for the patient and the healthcare system . though not part of the ancient literature , the herb employed , lajjalu ( sanskrit ) ( pudica mimosa l. ) is well described in more recent literature dating from 400 - 500 years ago [ box 1 ] , together with its uses [ box 2 ] . a woman aged 44 years reported with a history of vaginal bleeding accompanied by pain , which she said had started a year previously , and had been repeating occasionally . she had been examined at the medwin hospital , banjara hills , andhra pradesh , on 18 june 2009 , and advised to wear uterine rings . she chose not to wear the rings , and only took the medicines . in her second check on 14 october 2009 , the patient declined the operation , saying she was anemic , and considered herself too weak for the operation . instead , she visited my clinic in shivamogga , karnataka , to try ayurvedic treatment . my diagnosis for treatment ( as in figures 2 and 3 ) : complaints were bleeding per vagina - quantity small with bad odor ; feeling of a heavy mass in the uro - genital passage ; occasional pain in the loins , back and thighs . general examination revealed her to be anemic & emaciated : debility and apathy marked . treatment : on the basis of experience , information in box 3 , and with patient 's consent , lajjalu was selected : lajjalu / namskari = mimosa pudica linnaeus kashayam ( decoction ) to be taken orally ; and swarasa ( liquid / paste from crushing ) as external application . the patient found slight improvement in condition ; the pain decreased and the bleeding also seemed to be less . an aqueous extract for oral intake was continued along with the external application i.e. a thick paste of lajjalu root was applied over the prolapse inside the vagina and a tight diaper was put on , to retain the paste in the contact position for 2 to 3 hours ( patients never report any reaction to , or discomfort from , these treatments ) . results 1 : on 26.11.09 after 15 days treatment , external and internal , i noted the following : 
 a)bleeding almost stopped.b)pain very slight and not continuous.c)erosion and prolapse markedly reduced ; only giving very slight inconvenience . results 2 : on 28 december 2009 , at the end of the first 40 day ayurvedic treatment , the patient underwent a second ultrasound scan . results were as follows : uterus : normal in size , measures 9.5  5.5  4.3 cm ; showing anterior wall intra - uteral fibroid with calcification within it . suggestive of degenerating of fibroid measuring 1.0  0.8 cm . as on general checkup on 10.10.2009 measures normal white discharge , micturation , no dysuria ( painful or difficult urination ) ovaries : both ovaries now normal in size : echotexture right 2.4  2.3 cm ; left 2.4  2.7 cm . no evidence of free fluid in pouch of douglas : no tenderness in the part . now , size is normal , and shows homogeneous echo texture . ultrasound scan of pelvis after completion of 3rd course of treatment : report uterus is normal in size and measures 6.6  3.3  5.2 cm shows small intramural fibroid measuring 9.6 mm in anterior wall . 2.6  1.8  2.7 cm . left ovary 2.5  1.6  2.5 cm . clinical conclusion : patient 's condition shows improvements in several areas . also , since the patient had been advised hysterectomy , but being unwilling to undergo surgery , had preferred to try ayurvedic medicine , it suggests that her first 40 days ayurvedic treatment may be a step to avoiding hysterectomy ( as in findings from my previous treatments ) . i have treated cases of uterine prolapse of different degrees for many years , during which i have presented a few case reports for the benefit of professionals and the general public . many patients come from different parts of the country , among them , cases of 2 and 3 degree prolapse as diagnosed by gynecologists . many such uterine prolapse cases have come to me with scan reports and other details . this article reports a very recent case . for the entirety of my 50 years medical practice , i have only used ayurvedic drugs to treat , usually formulated and presented in capsule form for increased convenience over churna form . for external application on affected parts , i give swarasa extract , which patients take for lengthy periods , dosage depending on the degree of prolapse . in addition to uterine prolapse ( garbha bhramsha ) , lajjalu is used for prolapsed rectum ( guda bhramsha ) , vaginal - uterine disorders ( yoni vyapat ) , dysfunctional uterine bleeding ( rakta yoni ) , piles ( arsha ) , anal fistula ( bhagandar ) , external & internal bleeding & non - bleeding dysmenorrhoea ( rajah ) , leucorrhoea ( svet pradara ) , & urinary infections . mimosa pudica was found to be very useful in this case of uterine prolapse with bleeding , consistent with my experience of working with the condition for more than 45 years , and treating hundreds of such cases of third degree uterine prolapse . hysterectomy was avoided up to this date , and is not now expected to be recommended . editorial comment : as a first single case study by the authors , this was accepted because of its wide potential interest and implications . today 's high prevalence of uterine prolapse , and the nature of biomedical treatments , mean that the possibility of wide scale adoption of lajjalu treatment for that and related problems merits further evaluation .
mimosa pudica was found useful in cases of uterine prolapse with bleeding , consistent with my experience of working with the condition for more than 45 years , and treating hundreds of such cases of uterine prolapse . 
 hysterectomy has been avoided up to this date , and is not now expected to be recommended .