1) INDIA TODAY, March 31 1994
Page 186.
... Elsewhere, inNew Delhi, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has validated an unglamorous but effective Ayurvedic treatment for piles, in which a medicated thread treated with the latex of certain plants is tied to the piles and inserted into the fistula. This simple therapy known as Kshrasootra proved so effective as an alternative to surgery that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi has established a Kshrasootra clinic.
But it is not only at home that traditional medicine is making waves. Interest in Indian medicine is growing globally too.

(2) INDIAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY, July 1997
Volume 16 97
Ksharsootra(medicated seton) treatment for fistula in ano
JAYANT D MOHITE, RAJESH S GAWAL, OM PRAKASH S ROHONDIA, RAVINDRA D BAPAT,
Department of Surgery, Seth G S Medical college and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, 400012.

... Ksharsootra seems to be ideal for one stage fistulotomy because of its simultaneous cutting and healing action and better drainage. Also, due to better drainage, there is less recurrence and incontinence.
Recurrence with Ksharsootra ranged from 1.2% to 4%. In our series initial failure to heal was due to technical faults, there was no recurrence. Ksharsootra is also better with respect to risk of incontinence. Complete recovery of continence with Ksharsootra therapy has been reported whenever incontinence was observed. Ksharsootra therapy can be done in any set-up and patients remain ambulatory. Such an easy, safe and effective treatment for anal fistulae seems to be ideal

(3)THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, 24 MARCH 2000
Govt may provide swadeshi Arthritis cure KumKum Chadha, New Delhi, March 2

TAKING CUE from the swadeshi tenor of the Government, the Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) has embarked on a novel idea: To introduce Panchkarma and Kshar- Sutra techniques in Government hospitals. The Kshar-Sutra will help in the treatment of Fistula-in-ano, which is a common condition prevalent in the world, second only to haemorrhoids. According to a study conducted on the prevalence of anal fistula in a London hospital, 10 per cent of all inpatients and 4 per cent of new outpatients suffer from this disease. A similar study in India has reported anal fistula to constitute 1.6 per cent of all surgical admissions. Though a benign condition, it leads to major physical and psychological problems. The letter sent by Mrs Shailaja Chandra, Secretary, Department of ISM&H, identifies the Panchkarma and Kshar-Sutra as major therapies in Ayurveda to manage two kinds of health problems. While the first is useful to relieve the symptoms and ailments caused by neurological and neuro-muscular as well as some orthopaedic disorders, the second provides an alternative for patients who do not want surgery or encounter recurrence of the problem after conventional surgery. Kshar-Sutra has been found very effective in the treatment of anal fistula, which is predominantly a �€œdisease of men and of the middle age�€�. While surgical treatment is known to have a high recurrence rate, most being reported within a year of the surgery, the recurrence rate of those treated with Kshar-Sutra is a mere 2 per cent.