Hridaya Basti and Heart-Brain Interactions in Ayurveda and Contemporary Cardiovascular Science

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a major cause of global mortality, while chronic stress, autonomic dysregulation, and inflammation are increasingly recognized as contributors to cardiovascular risk. Ayurveda conceptualizes Hridaya as a multidimensional regulatory locus associated with circulation, vitality, cognition, and emotional processes. Objective: To examine conceptual links between classical Ayurvedic cardiophysiology and contemporary heart-brain science and to assess the biological plausibility and current clinical evidence concerning Hridaya Basti. Methods: A structured narrative synthesis was undertaken using classical Ayurvedic sources and contemporary biomedical literature relevant to autonomic regulation, heart rate variability, endothelial function, thermal interventions, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. Published clinical reports involving Hridaya Basti were interpreted as hypothesis-generating evidence because the intervention was generally delivered as part of multimodal care. Evidence synthesis: Hridaya Basti involves localized retention of warmed medicated oil over the precordial region. Thermal, tactile, autonomic, and topical phytochemical pathways provide testable hypotheses, but direct mechanistic evidence specific to Hridaya Basti is currently lacking. Published case-based observations report changes in symptoms and cardiovascular parameters during multimodal Ayurvedic treatment; these reports cannot establish an independent treatment effect of Hridaya Basti. Conclusion: Hridaya Basti is a candidate for systematic investigation at the interface of Ayurveda and contemporary cardiovascular science. Future controlled studies should standardize the intervention, preserve conventional cardiac care, and incorporate objective autonomic, vascular, inflammatory, functional, and safety outcomes.